Japanese Cooking - Contemporary & Traditional by Miyoko Nishimoto Schinner Page A

hand, and add to the oil, sautéing for a few minutes. Add the vegetables and saute for a couple of minutes more. Add the stock and sea salt, and bring to a simmer. Partially cover and cook until the vegetables are tender. Flavor with the soy sauce, cook for another couple of minutes, then turn off the heat. Stir in the ginger and sesame oil, and serve.
    Yield: 6 servings

     
    There is a legend that says a young monk once dropped a block of tofu with which he was to prepare a dinner for the monastery. With his broken tofu, he concocted this delicious, country-style soup. Other vegetables such as green beans, parsnips, or squash can be used if Japanese vegetables are unavailable.
     

Savory Steamed Custard Soup
     

Chawan-Mushi
     
    1 pound silken tofu
    1 cup Konbu to Shiitake no Dashi (Konbu-Shiitake Stock), page 54
    2 tablespoons soy sauce (preferably usu-kuchi)
    3 tablespoons sake, white wine, or dry sherry
    4 large fresh shiitake mushrooms (reconstituted dry are also acceptable), cut in half or quartered
    4 to 8 spears asparagus (depending on thickness), cut into ½-inch lengths
    8 to 12 ginko nuts, shelled
    2 green onions, minced or thinly sliced
    Purée the tofu, stock, soy sauce, and sake in a blender or food processor until very smooth. Distribute the mushrooms, asparagus, and ginko nuts equally in the bottom of four chawan-mushi dishes or ceramic coffee mugs. Pour the tofu mixture on top to fill the cups three-quarters full. Cover each cup with aluminum foil, and place the cups in a large pot. Fill the pot with water half-way up the cups, cover the pot with a lid, and bring the water to a boil. Turn down the heat and simmer gently until the custard has risen and set. Top each cup with green onions and serve immediately.

     
    Traditionally made with eggs, this soup is considered a delicacy in Japan and is often served for special occasions. The delicate egg custard flavored with stock, soy sauce, and sake has hidden treasures at the bottom: morsels of wild mushrooms, gingko nuts, and often shrimp or other seafood. Here I present a vegan version using silken tofu to replicate the eggs.
     
    Yield: 4 servings

Japanese-Style Consommé
     

Suimono
     
    Basic Suimono:
    3 to 4 dried shiitake mushrooms, or a 2 x 2-inch piece of konbu
    3 to 4 cups dashi made from two tablespoons of “Instant” Konbu Dashi, page 56
    ½ teaspoon sea salt
    1 tablespoon sake
    2 to 3 teaspoons soy sauce (preferably usu-kuchi) (It is slightly saltier but has a lighter color and will not darken the dashi [stock].)

     
    Suimono, literally meaning “water dish, ” are by far the most delicate of Japanese soups. They are the equivalent of consommé and are delicious if made with a rich stock. Here, the dashi or stock is of paramount importance or the soup will be bland and lacking in character.
    For a vegetarian version, I recommend using the “Instant” Konbu Dashi recipe on page 56, supplemented by either additional konbu or dried shiitake mushrooms to yield a flavorful base for the soup.
     
     
    Suggestions for items to float in the dashi (stock) (use no more than 2 to 3):
    ½ carrot, thinly sliced, and if possible, trimmed to resemble flowers
    2 fresh shiitake mushrooms, sliced paper thin
    Enoki mushrooms, separated into very small clumps
    Shimeji (oyster mushrooms)
    A few leaves of baby spinach per bowl
    A few sprigs of mitsuba (trefoil), page 27, if available (Do not use scallions if using mitsuba.)
    Minced scallions
    A grating of lemon or yuzu zest per bowl
    Several pieces fu (wheat puffs) per bowl
    Yield: 4 servings
    Soak the dried shiitake in the dashi (stock) until fully reconstituted. Squeeze out the shiitake and remove. If you are using konbu instead, add it to the dashi, bring it to a boil, and simmer for 10 minutes. Remove the konbu. It is now ready to be simmered briefly with a vegetable or mushroom slices and seasoned, or simply seasoned and poured into individual bowls with scallions, mitsuba, fu, or tender greens, such as