"Ganmodoki" (Japanese tofu fritter) and steamed broccoli and scrambled egg with oyster-mayonnaise sauce

Photo by bodhilens

"Ganmodoki" means pseudo-goose in Japanese. I've heard that Japanese Buddhist monks invented it for poultry substitute. Traditionally it's deep-fried, but this oven-baked version turned out to be yummy and easier to make. Also, whoever first thought of mixing oyster sauce and Japanese mayonnaise is genius, I think. The sauce amazingly goes well with steamed broccoli and scrambled egg. 

Ingredients for ganmodoki (for about 16 pieces):

1 large or 2 small packs of firm tofu (14 oz)

1/3 pack of dry "hijiki" seaweed

2 carrots

5 "shiitake" mushroom (or any other mushrooms)

5 "ao-jiso" leaves (green perilla) (or green onion)

1 egg

3 TBSP of "katakuriko" (potato starch)

1 TBSP of cooking rice wine (or any white cooking wine)

2 tsp of soy sauce

1/2 tsp of sea salt

Sesame oil (for brushing)

"Ponzu" (citrus soy sauce, for dipping)

Directions:

1. Strain water from tofu by wrapping it with a cotton cloth or paper towel and heating it in microwave for a few minutes.

2. Wash and soak hijiki in water, while grating carrots, chopping mushrooms and ao-jiso. 

3. Squeeze water out of hijiki, and crush tofu.

4. Mix all and add seasonings (except for sesame oil). If the mixture is too loose, add more katakuriko until it clumps. 

5. Preheat oven at 400F. 

6. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Take 2 TBSP of the mixture, make a small patty, and put in on the paper. Brush all patties with sesame oil.

7. Bake for 20-30 minutes until the patties turn golden blown. 

8. Serve ganmodoki with ponzu. 

Ingredients for steamed broccoli and scrambled egg with oyster-mayonnaise sauce (for 2 people):

1/2 bunch of broccoli floret

1 egg

2 TBSP of oyster sauce

2 TBSP of Japanese mayonnaise

1-2 smidgens of stevia

Directions:

1. Cut broccoli floret into a bite size and steam them. 

2. Make scrambled egg

3. Mix #1 and #2 with the seasonings.

Virginia's favorite tofu and vegetable chili beans (garnished with low fat yogurt and Mexican-style shredded cheese, served with soft corn tortilla and blueberry tea)

Virginia is my beloved mother-in-law and an artist who inspired me to create this blog. She liked this dish so much that it earned the honor of being named after her. I share with you a trick to make tofu ground-beefy and a few ingredients that you may not find in other recipes for chili beans. (Photo by bodhilens)

Ingredients (for 7-8 servings):

For Step 1:
4 cups (or 2 cans) of cooked red kidney beans or chili beans (aka pink beans)

For Step 2:
1 pack of firm tofu

For Step 3:
1 tsp of olive oil
1 medium size onion (chopped)
2 cloves of garlic (grated)
1 stalk of celery (chopped)
1/2 large green pepper* (chopped)
1/2 large sweet red pepper* (chopped)
2 broccoli stems* (chopped)

*You can use any cut vegetables (e.g., 1/2 green pepper and 1/2 sweet red pepper) or vegetable scraps (e.g., broccoli stems) left in your fridge.

For Step 4:
3 TBSP of chili powder
1 TBSP of paprika powder
1 TBSP of oregano
1 tsp of chipotle powder
1 tsp of cumin powder
1 tsp of cinnamon
1 tsp of nutmeg
2 bay leaves
2 bouillon cubes (or add anything that contains "umami")

For Step 5:
1 can of diced tomato (I sometimes use a can of tomato in juice with Italian seasonings, like basil, to further enrich the flavor.)
1/2 cup of red cooking wine
2 TBSP of Worcestershire sauce** (include 1 TBSP of Japanese "tonkatsu" sauce** if you have it)
1 TBSP of ketchup

**Japanese brands of Worcestershire sauce may be sweeter than American brands, and tonkatsu sauce is definately sweeter than Worcestershire sauce. So if you don't use either, you may want to add more ketchup to adjust the sweetness of this dish.

For Step 6:
1-2 cups of water
1 pinch or two of salt and pepper

Directions:

Step 1. Soak beans in water overnight, cook them for several hours in a crock pot at a high temparature setting until they are tender, and drain. (Or open cans of beans and drain.)

Step 2. Here's the trick to make tofu ground-beefy. You need firm tofu for this. Crush tofu, squeeze excess water out of it, put it in a freezer bag, and freeze it overnight. Then, thaw it, squeeze excess water out of it again, and pan-fry it without oil to dehydrate it further. This treatment gives tofu a ground-beefy texture that is ready to absorb all the flavors from the other ingredients.

Step 3. Sautee garlic and onion with olive oil in a cooking pot. Add vegetables, dehydrated tofu, and 1/2 of cooked beans in the pot.

Step 4. Add the listed dry herbs and consomme cubes in the pot.

Step 5: Pour the listed wet ingredients in the pot.

Step 6: Add water to adjust the thickness of the mixture as you like. Cook it at low heat for an hour or so (or in a crock pot at a high temparature setting for several hours) . Add the rest of cooked beans 30 minutes before you serve. Add salt and pepper if you like.

I garnished this dish with low fat yogurt (instead of sour cream) and Mexican-style shredded cheese (including monterey jack, mild cheddar, queso quesadilla, and asadero) that I found in my fridge.

I also made soft corn tortilla to serve with this dish. I'll share the recipe for the tortilla sometime.

Many herbal/floral teas (e.g., red zinger [hibiscus + rosehip], any mints, and jasmine) can be cold-brewed, and they are as tasty as hot-brewed. I put 4 bags of blueberry tea in a 1+1/2 quart pitcher filled with filtered water and left it in my fridge overnight to serve with this dish.

Tofu, tomato, and broccoli salad with sweet and sour garlic soy sauce dressing (garnished with sweet corn kernels and nasturtium leaves and flowers)

This is one of my favorite salads as a main dish. Tofu can be substituted by avocado or cooked meat (e.g., thinly sliced beef or shredded chicken breast). Today I pan-fried firm tofu dusted with "katakuriko"/potato starch, but it was not as good as fresh soft tofu. Meaty and sweet kinds of tomatoes, like cherokee purple, work best for this salad. (Photo by bodhilens)

Ingredients (for 3-4 servings):

1 pack of tofu (14 oz)
2 crowns of broccoli
2 large ripe tomatoes

For dressing:

2 TBSP of soy sauce
2 TBSP of sesame oil
1 TBSP of rice vinegar
2 cloves of garlic (grated)
1/2 smidgen (i.e., a tip of a flat toothpick amount) of stevia powder* (or any other sweetener)

For garnishing (optional):
1 cup of cooked sweet corn kernels
A few fresh nasturtium leaves and flowers

Directions:

1. Mix the ingredients for dressing and let it sit for a while (so that garlic blends in and gets milder).
2. Chop broccoli into chunks and cook them as you like (e.g., microwaving, boiling, or steaming for a few minutes).
(3. Cook sweet corn kernels as you like [e.g., microwaving or sauteing with a bit of butter].)
4. Cut tofu into small square pieces.
5. Slice tomatoes.
6. Place 2, 4, & 5 on a plate and drizzle the dressing over.
(7. Garnish with 3 and a few fresh nasturtium leaves and flowers if you like.)

*I have tried a few different brands of stevia powder and found Simply Stevia by Stevia Co., Inc. the sweetest and the most economical. I often replace 1 TBSP of sugar called for in any recipe with 1 smidgen of this stevia powder.