Taught by personal chef DECO

Easy to make「Simmered Tofu」

Easy to make「Simmered Tofu」Taught by personal chef DECO

Easy to make「Simmered Tofu」Taught by personal chef DECO

A traveling chef and founder of 'DECO Bento.After serving as head chef at 'DOSANJIN,' a handmade stone-milled soba specialty restaurant in Ikejiri, Tokyo, he became an independent traveling chef.The healthy, seasonally inspired bento boxes that highlight the natural flavors of the ingredients are popular among models and magazine professionals.

Ingredients for 1 serving (for 2 people)

Silken tofu

1 block
Title

Deep-fried tofu

1 piece
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Mushroom

200g

*This time, shiitake, shimeji, enoki, and maitake mushrooms are used.
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Duck meat (if unavailable, use pork belly or chicken thigh)

100g
Title

Shredded green onions

To taste
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Water-diluted katakuriko (potato starch)

1 tablespoon katakuriko (potato starch), 1 tablespoon water
Title

【A】　*Can be substituted with shirodashi-based mentsuyu

Dashi

300ml
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Sake

50ml
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Usukuchi soy sauce

60ml
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Mirin

50ml
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How to make it

  1. Season the dashi and thicken it with katakuriko.
    Add A to a pot and bring it to a boil. Once boiling, turn off the heat, then slowly stir in the water-diluted katakuriko while mixing with a ladle. Bring it back to a boil and simmer while stirring until it thickens.
  2. Make shallow cuts in the skin of the duck, then cook it in a frying pan to render out the excess fat. (Making cuts helps the fat to render more easily.)
  3. Cut the deep-fried tofu into 1 cm-wide strips, slice the duck into 3 mm-thick pieces, and cut the mushrooms into bite-sized pieces.
  4. Place the lightly drained tofu into the HEGE and heat it up.
  5. Pour the sauce from step 1 generously over the tofu and simmer over medium heat for about 3 minutes.
  6. Place mushrooms and duck on top of tofu, cover with a wooden lid, and steam over low heat for 1 minute. Once the ingredients are cooked, sprinkle green onions, and it’s ready to serve!
  7. Enjoy by breaking the tofu apart. You can also pour it over rice.

Simmered tofu is a staple dish that I often enjoy both at work and at home.

It's so easy that even my elementary school daughter can make it by herself. While it's delicious with just tofu, feel free to drizzle some sesame oil on top or switch out the ingredients for various adaptations!

Photo：Tetsuya Ito