Koyadofu can literally soak up flavors like a sponge! Savor every bite of this delicate dish covered in a thick ankake sauce with pork soboro, lotus root and ginger.
Ingredients (Serves 2)
2 pieces koyadofu
40 g ground pork
2 cm lotus root (30 g)
10 g ginger
A little mitsuba (stems only; boiled and cut into 2 cm lengths)
1 tbsp sake
300 ml dashi
[A]
2 tsp sugar
2 tsp mirin
2 tsp soy sauce
2 tsp usukuchi soy sauce
[B]
2 tbsp dashi
2 tsp potato starch
Directions
1. Soak the koyadofu in water for 6-7 minutes to reconstitute. Sandwich and squeeze between your palms to remove excess water. Cut each koyadofu into quarters.
2. Peel the lotus root and dice it into 5 mm cubes. Peel the ginger and dice it into 2 mm cubes. Add the ground pork and the sake to a bowl, and break up the clumps.
3. Add the koyadofu pieces and dashi to a pot and place over medium heat. Once it comes to a boil, reduce the heat to low and simmer for 4-5 minutes. When the koyadofu becomes plump, add [A] and continue to simmer, allowing it to soak up the flavors. Turn off the heat after 7-8 minutes.
4. Add the ground pork mixture to a separate pot and place over medium heat. Break up any remaining clumps. Once the alcohol from the sake has burned off, add the lotus root and ginger cubes, along with the simmering liquid from the koyadofu. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low. Remove any surface scum and simmer until the lotus root is cooked through. Combine [B] and add it to the pot to thicken the ankake sauce.
5. Plate the koyadofu and cover with the ankake sauce. Garnish with mitsuba stems.—NHK
