Despite the fact that my Soyquick caught fire a few weeks ago (!!), I have not had any more problems and have got back to fulfilling my regular fresh tofu cravings.
Once you have your tofu, this recipe is both easy, tasty, and nutritious. The key, like with many things I cook, is heaps of ginger and boat-loads of garlic. I am perfectly happy to give up the concept of friendship and company if it means I can ingest copious amounts of garlic. I will never have to fear vampires.
The base is a simple vegan-friendly dashi, made with dried shiitake mushrooms. As I didn't use the soaked mushrooms with the tofu recipe, I saved them and sliced them over a simple salad of edamame, broad beans, carrot, garlic, and ginger.
There is no need to be precise with ingredients for this recipe because it's so simple and can be dealt with via constant taste-tests throughout the creation process (broth not salty enough? Throw in some more soy sauce). Be creative and experiment! I'm sure this would also be lovely with some freshly sliced spring onions on top.
Fresh Nigari Tofu in a Hot Vegan Dashi Broth
- Directions/Method
- First make the broth by putting about 1 ½-2 cups of hot water in a pot with the dried shiitake mushrooms. The number of mushrooms used for making the broth is only a suggestion and is based on the quality of the mushrooms as well as size. Add the soy sauce, sugar, ginger, garlic, and optional chili to the broth also at this time. Leave this to simmer over a low heat while you prepare the tofu.
- To prepare the tofu, place the blocks in a bath of hot water over a low heat. Don't boil the tofu as you still want it in one piece. This serves no purpose other than to heat the tofu.
- After the broth has been a-brewin' for 20 minutes or so, add a little bit of sesame oil to the broth, then remove the mushrooms and set aside. You can slice the meaty body away from the stems and serve with this dish (or another, like my inclusion in a mixed bean salad).
- Remove the bean curd from its hot bath and place each piece in the centre of empty bowls. Gently pour the broth over the hot tofu, using a spoon to catch the majority of the ginger and garlic as the liquid pours away. Top the hot bean curd with the remaining garlic and ginger, and serve immediately while hot.