← Nouns Cooking · Japanese

Ingredients

• 300 g firm (momen) tofu, cut into 6 large cubes
• 180 g very thinly sliced beef, cut into bite-size pieces
• 1 Onion, cut into wedges
• 4 Shiitake mushrooms, halved (optional)
• 1 tsp Vegetable oil
• 150 ml Water
• 3 tbsp Soy sauce
• 2 tbsp Sake
• 2 tbsp Mirin
• 1 tbsp Sugar
• 1 Spring onion, sliced, to serve

Method

1. Wrap the tofu in kitchen paper and leave it for 10 min while you prepare everything else, so it holds its shape.
2. Heat the oil in a frying pan over medium-high heat and fry the beef for 1–2 min until it just changes colour. Push it to one side.
3. Add the onion and shiitake, then pour in the water, soy sauce, sake, mirin and sugar and bring to a simmer.
4. Nestle in the tofu, spoon the sauce over and cover with a lid or a circle of baking paper. Simmer on low for 10–12 min, turning the tofu once, until it has turned light brown and the onion is soft.
5. Serve in shallow bowls with plenty of broth and the spring onion, with rice on the side.

Tips

• Like most simmered dishes, it tastes even better the next day once the tofu has soaked up the broth.
• Add a knot of shirataki noodles to stretch it further.

Sources

Written in our own words after cross-checking these recipes:

RecipeTin Japan Japanese Cooking 101