RECIPE (August 2016)

Shojin-ryori meal – Inari okara (bean curd lees) – Fried eggplant and cucumber with miso paste – Roasted carrot and bean mix with vinegar dressing

alarm About 50 minute

Shojin-ryori meal - Inari okara (bean curd lees) - Fried eggplant and cucumber with miso paste - Roasted carrot and bean mix with vinegar dressing

Inari okara (bean curd lees)

Ingredients (Serves: 4)

Gobo (burdock root)

30g
Carrot

30g
Dried shiitake mushrooms

2 pieces
Okara (bean curd lees)

100g
Stringbeans

3
Deep-fried tofu

2 pieces

※Broth for vegetables

Water

1 cup
Sugar

2 tbsp
Light soy sauce

1 tbsp

※Broth for tofu pockets

Reserved liquid from soaking shiitake mushrooms (or kombu dashi )

1 tbsp
Water

3/4 cup
Sugar

1 tbsp
Light soy sauce

1/2 Tbsp

Directions

Pound the deep-fried tofu gently with a pestle. Cut it in half then open out each half into a pocket. Boil the pockets in the prepared broth (2) (see above).
Cut the gobo into thin slivers and place in water to soak. Cut the carrots and shiitake mushrooms up finely. Slice the stringbeans on the angle.
Heat some sesame oil in a pan and fry the gobo until soft. Add the carrots and shiitake mushrooms and fry for a little longer.
Now add the prepared broth (1) (see above), followed by the okara and stringbeans, and boil briskly until all the liquid has evaporated.
Wait for the vegetable mix to cool, then stuff it into the tofu pockets.

Fried eggplant and cucumber with miso paste

Ingredients (Serves: 4)

Eggplants

2
Cucumber

1
Deep-fried tofu

1/2 piece
Salt

1 tsp
Miso paste

20g
Sake

1 tsp
Soy sauce

1/2 Tbsp
Mirin

1 tbsp
Vegetable oil

2 tsp
Toasted sesame

1 tbsp

Directions

Cut the eggplants in half lengthways then slice it thinly into semi-circles. Thinly slice the cucumber. Mix together and sprinkle with salt. After 10 minutes, rinse off the salt and drain well.
Fry the deep-fried tofu piece until it browns slightly, then cut into 1-cm strips.
Combine the red miso, sake, soy sauce and mirin in a bowl or jug.
Put some oil in a pan and fry the eggplant and cucumber on medium heat.
Pour the red miso sauce over the fried vegetables and mix well, then turn off the heat.
Add the toasted sesame and mix through.

Roasted carrot and bean mix with vinegar dressing

Ingredients (Serves: 4)

Carrot

50g
Stringbeans

50g
Momen coarse tofu

150g
Toasted sesame

3 tbsp
Sugar

1 tbsp
Vinegar

1 tbsp
Sake

1 tbsp
Salt

A pinch
Vegetable oil

1/2 tsp

Directions

Cut the carrot into 4-cm pieces and boil briefly then fry in oil. Allow to cool. Boil the stringbeans and cut into 3-cm pieces. Boil the tofu for two minutes, then squeeze out in a cloth to remove excess moisture.
To prepare the dressing, grind the sesame with a mortar and pestle until oil can be seen. Add the drained tofu along with the sugar, vinegar, sake and salt and mix with the pestle.
Add the carrots and stringbeans to the dressing and mix well.