Tofu true love: Hiyayakko

Love of pure heart of tofu exist by name, Hiyayakko.

Best dishes for preparation by person like a topping in many variety

and pure taste of the real tofu.

 

Hiyayakko with natto (fermented soy beans)

People are suspicious of tofu. And if they live outside of Asia, I don’t blame them. There is one thing that really bothers me about tofu in North America. It’s gross. I mean, I’ll eat it, and maybe even enjoy it… but I don’t consider it tofu. Here, soy bean curd is used as a meat substitute, whereas in Japan, tofu – soft, smooth, and rich with a mellow bean flavour – is enjoyed for it’s texture and delicate qualities. It’s eaten boiled, simmered, grilled, fried, as a drink and as a dessert custard. There are multiple course meals based around tofu and all its glory. It’s delicious. And if you really like tofu? You get raw, and top it.

Ingredients for Hiyayakko (per serving)

• Chilled soft (silken) tofu. For this dish, it’s worth going to the Asian market for the real deal. If you can’t find soft tofu, do not substitute this with medium or firm tofu. Simply abort the mission until you find the good stuff.
• Garnish of choice (see below for some suggestions)
• Soy sauce or ponzu sauce (available at Japanese markets and many grocery stores)

How to make Hiyayakko:

1. Carefully slide a single serving size of tofu onto a small side plate (first drain the water out of the package and cut the typical “square” of tofu into roughly 4 equal servings).  If you’d like, cut a grid into each serving, resulting in 4 or 6 bite-sized cubes.
2. Top with your favourite garnish (see “Variations” section below)
3. Pour on a little soy sauce or ponzu sauce to taste, adding wasabi paste if you like the kick.
4. To eat, roll each cube in the sauce and enjoy with a little pile of the topping. YUM!

Variations for Hiyayakko toppings:

Katsuo-bushi (shaved bonito) and green onion

• Sprinkle some katsuo-bushi on the tofu, and top with a little finely sliced green onion.
• Serve with soy sauce and wasabi, if you like

Natto and green onion (pictured above)

• Vigorously stir purchased natto (fermented soy beans – very stinky!) and pour over tofu.
• Top with thinly sliced green onion.

Umeboshi and shiso with ponzu sauce (pictured below)

• Finely slice shiso herb and place on tofu
• Pit a couple of umeboshi and chop finely, until it becomes a paste. Place a dollop on top of the shiso nest, or place on the side to mix in with the ponzu (as you would wasabi in soy sauce)
• Pour over a little ponzu, for dipping, to create a citrusy, fresh dish

Katsuo-bushi (shaved bonito) and white onion

• Slice fresh white onion into paper thin slices, and soak in ice-cold water for at least 30 minutes (better to do this for an hour or more). Change the water a few times for best effect.
• Drain and spin or pat onions dry, and make a beautiful pile on top of the tofu.
• Sprinkle liberally with katsuo-bushi flakes
• Serve with soy sauce

 

Hiyayakko with shiso (perilla) herb and ume (sour plum) paste

Happy forking!

I forking love Tofu Kaiseki

Tofu Happiness

What can make me so forking happy? Forking tofu, that’s what. Tofu, forking done RIGHT. Those tired old sponges you’re buying at your local Safeway? That ain’t tofu. That “extra firm” crap that you cut up and use in stir-fries? Not tofu. Those little brown shrivelly hard pucks that stuff you fry up and use as a meat substitute? You guessed it – not even close.

Tofu – REAL tofu – is made with the mildest tasting to-nyuu (soy milk) and simply simmered or steamed until it sets into a silky, soft dream. And if you really want to experience tofu, you have to experience tofu kaiseki, a multi-course Japanese forking extravaganza of amazement.

Last night, I was treated to tofu kaiseki by my old friend John, who I met while I was living in Japan. 9 years after we first met, he’s still here and working like a dog and teaching 7 days a week from dawn to well past sun-down. Luckily, I arrived during test season, when he was able to take an evening off and blow my mind with a visit to an unassuming and yet amazing tofu restaurant in the small town of Tawaramoto. What followed was one of the most exciting meals I’ve ever eaten.

Join me on a tornado of tofu temptation.

Courses 1 through 6:

Tofu Kaiseki - step one

• Course 1: Hiki-age yuba (far right) To-nyu (soy milk) served in an individual burner and lit from below. As it simmers, it forms the first step in the tofu-making process – a thin skin (just like milk) called yuba which you skim off the top and dip into a light soup-based sauce. When the flame goes out, the sauce is poured into the remaining soy milk, mixed, and consumed like a soup.
• Course 2: To-nyu corn soup (in the black sake cup, centre) A sweet corn potage, mellowed by the soy milk, with a salty finish
• Course 3: To-morokoshi tofu (left, in black dish) A small block of tofu made with corn meal
• Course 4: Chawanmushi (top centre) A savoury egg and tofu custard topped with uni (sea urchin)
• Course 5: Shouga ankake tororo yuba (top right) A very soft yuba which is set somewhere in the state between yuba and tofu, topped with a ginger-infused Chinese soup-based clear sauce
• Course 6: Otsukuri (bottom) Sashimi. Spot prawn, squid, tuna, yellow-tai

Yamaimo Tofu with three salts

• Course 7: Tororo Yamaimo Tofu. To-nyuu is mixed with grated yamaimo (literal translation = mountain potato) and steamed until set. Served with three types of salt: Indonesian (spicy), Andes (a mellow pink salt), Wakayama (a Japanese salt flavoured with ume, a sour plum)

Ayu: sweetfish

• Course 8: Ayu is presented as though it’s swimming. Served on a piece of deep-fried tofu and accompanied by a kinome miso sauce (green) and lattice of fried soba noodles

Hamo (Pike Eel) Shabu Shabu

• Course 9: Hamono Shabu-Shabu. Intricately cut Pike Eel and a small piece of exquisite tofu is served with a fish soup, heated over your very own flame. The tofu is placed in from the beginning and the soup is brought to a boil, when the vegetables are added. The eel is cooked by passing it through the boiling soup 3 or 4 times and served in a separate bowl accompanied by a spoonful of the soup

Unagi (Freshwater Eel) Sunomono and Hamo Shabu Shabu

• Course 10: Unagino Sunomono. Freshwater eel pieces, flavoured by a vinegar dressing and topped with a sweet miso sauce

Tachiuo (Scabbard Fish) Tempura

• Course 11: Tachiuono Tempura. Rolled with carrots and cucumber, the Scabbard Fish tempura is served with a mattcha salt for seasoning instead of a dipping sauce.

Sansai (Mountain Vegetable) Rice

• Course 12: Sansai Gohan. No meal is complete without a bowl of rice. This one was served with cucumber and daikon radish pickles, and steamed with sansai, a local blend of tender shoots and vegetables.

Dessert: To-nyu cake and coffee

• Dessert: To-nyu keeki. Not too sweet, this one inch by one cm square piece of soy milk cake is served with your choice of tea or coffee, and serves as a finale to what can only be described as

Forking Amazing

Thank you, John!! Let’s Forking again!

The Restaurant

Two Girls Forking

Have you ever put two gorgeous gals in a room, set up a camera, and watched them get forking? That’s what I did today, and well… here are the results.

Get ready to drool.

Mentaiko on Rice

Dashimaki Tamago: Japanese Omelette

Hiyayakko: Tofu with Natto

Poki - Marinated Tuna and Avodaco

Yasai Itame: Stir-fried vegetables

Agedashi Tofu: Fried Tofu with Dashi soup

I love forking with girls.