Mixed Vegetables Braised with Thick Fried Tofu

Chikuzen Ni

The first recipe I tried from Elizabeth's draft was Chikuzen Ni or Mixed Vegetables Braised with Thick Fried Tofu. A chicken version of chikuzen ni, titled "Soy-Stewed Chicken with Vegetables", is included in "Washoku".

The vegetarian version uses thick fried tofu instead of chicken. The dish also include gobo (burdock root), carrots, konnyaku, shitake mushrooms, and edamame. Gobo is a fibrous root vegetable with a woodsy, herbal fragrance when raw. The gobo I purchased was about 30 inches long and an inch in diameter and still carrying some dirt. Konnyaku is a chewy (actually, somewhat rubbery) processed food made from the konnyaku yam.

Although packaged fried tofu imported Japan is available at my local Japanese market, I've found the oil tastes stale or rancid by the time it gets to California. So, I decided to purchase fresh locally-made tofu and fry it myself.

This is a fairly easy dish to make, if you can procure the gobo and konnyaku. The is a satisfying umami-rich dish with a nice variety of textures, shapes, and colors.

While you're waiting for "Kansha" to be published, try the chicken version published in "Washoku".