Kori-Dofu Tamago-Toji (Frozen Tofu and Egg Simmer)

Name: Kori-Dofu Tamago-Toji (Frozen Tofu and Egg Simmer)
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 40 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Japanese
Ingredients: freeze-dried tofu 4 sheet; shinobuna greens or komatsuna 4 plant; eggs 2 piece; cooking oil 1 tbsp; sugar 1.5 tbsp; soy sauce 1.5 tbsp; dashi 240 ml

Quick answer

Total time: 40 min
Level: Easy
Servings: 4 servings
Ingredients: 7

About this dish

Full of tiny holes, freeze-dried tofu soaks up a sweetened soy dashi until almost no liquid is left, then gets a soft blanket of egg.

With the broth cooked nearly dry, the moisture comes from the blanched greens and the softly set egg. The dish belongs to Fukushima City, where cold winds off the Abukuma highlands once dried thin tofu through the winter, and the result went into simmered dishes, soups, and New Year rice-cake soup. Households started after the November harvest, wrapping the tofu in straw or reed blinds and hanging it in the cold air for roughly two weeks. The greens are local shinobuna, with komatsuna (Japanese mustard spinach) as the stand-in.

Ingredients

servings

IngredientAmount

freeze-dried tofu4 sheet

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shinobuna greens or komatsuna4 plant

eggs2 piece

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Instructions

6 steps

1

Soak the freeze-dried tofu in plenty of cold water until soft through the center.

Press gently between your palms to remove water, cut each sheet in half, and slice into 1 cm strips.
2

Blanch the shinobuna or komatsuna in boiling water for 30 seconds, then cool in cold water.

Squeeze dry, trim the root ends, and cut into 2 to 3 cm lengths.
3

Crack the two eggs into a bowl and beat until whites and yolks are evenly combined.

Keep refrigerated while the tofu and greens cook.
4

Heat the oil in a wide pot over medium heat.

Add the tofu and blanched greens and stir-fry for 2 to 3 minutes to remove surface moisture and coat everything evenly.
5

Add the sugar, soy sauce, and dashi and bring to a boil.

Lower the heat, cover with a drop lid, and simmer for 10 to 12 minutes, turning once, until little liquid remains and the tofu is seasoned through.
6

Pour the beaten egg broadly over the pot and wait 10 seconds.

Fold once or twice from the bottom with a spatula, cover, and cook over low heat for 1 to 2 minutes, until no liquid egg remains. Divide among four plates.