This time of year when the nights are cold, I turn to claypot cooking for warmth and comfort. Claypot somehow adds that earthy aroma to the dish I cook and make the food a lot more appealing just because it’s cooked and served in a claypot. This probably isn’t really Japanese – hence the word “style” in the title. But I had some tofu in the fridge, a bunch of Japanese ingredients in the pantry, and the idea that “braised tofu” sounded good, and so, well, here you go. And it turns out tofu is a great thing to braise – it gets soft and creamy, and soaks up the flavours of the liquid it’s been cooking in.
If there’s a side dish that’s just as marvelous and fits in with every meatless Monday, it’s this vegan Japanese-style braised tofu. Braised tofu with vegetable (瓦煲豆腐) is an authentic home-cooked dish popular among the Chinese household. It is normally braised in a clay pot which adds an earthy aroma to the dish. The beauty of this recipe is that you can make it all in one dish and it tastes even better like that! Braising everything together means all the ingredients are slow cooked to juicy perfection. Then, when you bite into the crispy golden tofu and mushrooms, you’ll taste all the stir fry sauce infused inside. No mouthful will ever be dull!
This braised tofu or hongshao dofu is my grandma's favourite dish when we go out to eat at this little Cantonese restaurant in Chinatown. I have to say that this is a pretty crazy authentic homemade version, courtesy of my mum, natch.
IF YOU EVER GIVE THIS RECIPE A TRY, DO LEAVE A COMMENT BELOW AND/OR TAG @FRUITYEMZ AND HASHTAG #FRUITYEMZ ON YOUR INSTAGRAM POST! I WOULD LOVE TO SEE ALL YOUR YUMMY CREATIONS 🙂
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