‘The mind is like Tofu. It tastes like whatever you marinate it in’.
This is a beautiful recipe and I would recommend it to anyone who likes Tofu. My beautiful cousin, Sabrina, bought me a selection of spices and it came with some suggested recipes.
The key here is to make sure you get as much water out of the tofu as possible. The resulting dish is a wonderful combination of the char from the tofu, the salty sweet umami from the miso jam and the acid and spice from the spice mix. I have given a suggestion for if you don’t have Edo spice, but you can just sprinkle anything you have or that suits your palate, making it your own recipe.
Mr. B doesn’t like Tofu or miso, so this is recipe is just for me.
Ingredients
- 12oz block of firm tofu
- ¼ cup oil
- 2 tbsp. mirin
- 2 tbsp. mushroom powder
- Pinch of salt
- 1 batch miso jam
- 2 spring onions/scallions (for garnish)
Miso Jam
- 1 tbsp. mirin
- 2 tbsp. sake
- 6 tbsp. sweet white miso
- 1 egg yolk
- 1 tsp. fresh lemon juice
Method
- Drain the tofu, then cut it like a loaf of bread into six, ¾ inch slabs
- Arrange the tofu on a single layer on a cloth, lay more towels on top and weigh down to squeeze out as much water as possible
- Let stand for at least 20 minutes
- In the meantime, make the marinade by whisking oil, mirin, shitake powder, ginger and a pinch of salt. It will be spreadable but thick
- Transfer the tofu slabs to a plate and arrange them in a single layer. Brush the tops with the marinade, then flip and cover the other side. Let stand for 30 minutes
- During this time make the jam but whisking the ingredients together over a low heat, whisking until it is firm enough to hold a soft peak. Immediately take the jam off the heat and place in a bowl to make sure it doesn’t continue to cook
- Heat a non-stick pan, add the remaining oil. Add the tofu slabs and pan fry under nicely browned on all sides
- Transfer tofu to a serving plate
- Spread a dollop of miso jam on top of each slab, sprinkle the mixed spice* on top and a few bits of scallion.
*If you don’t have Edo Spice – a mix of 7 spices from Japan, add sesame seeds, chili flakes and some lemon zest
