sake marinated tofu in shitake broth

This semester has kept me incredibly busy at CMU, and (lucky me!) all that stress reacted badly on my immune system a week or two ago. I wanted a flavorful, gingery soup to take care of my sore throat and help me feel better, and this did the trick. Since I haven't seen my kitchen much this fall to do any real cooking, it was very nice to take the time to make a fiery soup on a cold fall afternoon.
I used instant bonito shavings for the dashi stock (I'm no expert in this field, but I read that this is what many Asian households use since it is very easy to prepare.) And it was easy to make with the individual packet of Bonito, all you need to do is boil it for a minute or two in water and then strain though a cheesecloth.

As for the shitake mushrooms, I'm normally not a fan of eating members of the Fungi kingdom, but I have to say these were pretty delicious. I got these at Whole Foods, they have a pretty nice selection of mushrooms.

I could see this soup being good with the addition of some soba-type noodles.

Sake-Marinated Tofu in Shitake Broth
Recipe from Gourmet Traveller.

250g medium-firm tofu
8 shitake mushrooms, sliced
1 small carrot, julienned
50g baby spinach

sake marinade:
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp mirin
1 tbsp sake
1/4 tsp fresh ginger, grated
1/2 garlic clove, minced

broth:
500ml dashi, vegetable stock or water
1/2 tsp toasted sesame oil
1 tbsp soy sauce
2 tsp rice vinegar
2 tsp mirin
1/2 garlic clove, minced
1/2 tsp grated ginger
1/2 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
shichimi togarashi (japanese 7 spice powder), to serve (I didn't have this, I used a little hot sauce instead)

Pat the tofu with a kitchen towel to remove excess moisture, then cut into 1-cm thick slices. Combine the marinade ingredients in a small bowl and marinade the tofu pieces for at least 2 hours (or overnight).

Lift the tofu pieces from the marinade and place on a heatproof dish. Steam on a medium heat for 6-8 minutes, until heated through. Remove from heat and keep warm.

Place all the broth ingredients in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Add the shitake and carrots then lower the heat to a simmer and cook for 4 minutes. Add spinach and cook for a further minute, until the leaves have wilted. Taste and season.

Arrange the warm tofu in large flat bowls, then pour over the broth. Serve with a dash of togarashi for a little heat.

Garlic Tofu Broccoli Stir Fry

Being in college, I'm always on a quest to find quick/easy/cheap/somewhat healthy meals to prepare when I get home from a long day in studio. Especially this month, after rather expensive series of events.

Stir-fry is a great answer to this problem— and this one turned out awesome!

Start by cooking the tofu. Add firm or extra firm tofu, cut up, into a dry nonstick pan and fry while pressing down until you get a nice browned color. Remove and set aside.

Fry up some onion and garlic (two big cloves) on low heat in olive oil. Add some red pepper flakes (I made this one pretty spicy.)

When the onions are clearish add a bunch of broccoli, cut into florets. Add some water to the pan and cover with a lid for a minute or two to steam them. They should turn bright green.

When the water's gone, add the tofu and lightly brown everything. Add some more olive oil if you need to. Finish it off with a bit of soy sauce and sesame seeds. Serve with rice, or maybe pasta?