Add the dried shiitake mushrooms, leek, onion and ginger to the saucepan. Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce to a simmer for a further 20 minutes. This will reduce the liquid but leave you with a flavourful base. Cut the silken tofu into 10 pieces, transfer to a plate, and let it sit at room temperature for 30 minutes. Carefully tilt the plate and pour off the liquid. This step allows you to remove some of the water content from the very wet silken tofu. Heat your wok over medium heat. Add 2 tablespoons of the frying oil around the perimeter of the wok so it is lightly coated. Add the smashed ginger to the wok and stir it in the oil for about 15 seconds. Stir in the minced garlic, the white portion of the scallions, the shiitake mushrooms, carrots, and fresh winter bamboo shoots, and turn the heat up to high.

Remove from heat. After 5 minutes of cooling, add the miso paste. (You don’t want to boil the miso as you want to keep all the lovely probiotic properties.) Silken tofu is the most delicate of all tofu types and breaks up easily, so the added step of deep frying it puts a thin crust around the exterior that helps it hold up in a gentle stir fry. Marigold’s Braised Tofu is a nutritious vegetarian and vegan food that can be served either hot or cold. For the exciting flavour of the sea, try it mashed with flaked toasted nori, lemon juice and spring onions. Delicious in salads, sandwiches, stir fried with vegetables and ideal for casseroles. Ingredients Deep frying adds that Chinese restaurant flavor and also rewards you with a slightly crisp exterior and silken texture inside, all drowned in a flavorful brown sauce.

Ingredients

Braised tofu—using silken tofu that’s first fried and then braised—is a dish usually enjoyed at a Chinese restaurant, because most people are a bit intimidated by the idea of making it at home. While it’s not quite as easy as some of our other tofu dishes (like this simple beef tofu stir-fry for instance), it is the fried silken tofu that really sets it apart. Using Silken Tofu Add the rest of the ingredients (soya milk, rice wine vinegar, coconut sugar, toasted sesame oil and tahini) and stir through. Oil temperature control is key, as you want to maintain the temperature between 375 and 400 degrees F.

Deep fry your silken tofu until light golden brown (about 2 to 3 minutes per batch). Set aside on a dry plate. If you have the time, tear a few pieces of kombu and soak it in a liter of water the night before (it will give you a head start). If not, very slowly bring the kombu and water to almost boiling point on low heat but do make sure to remove it before it boils. This should take around 30 minutes.