Editor’s note: The theme of Gohan Lab is to help people make simple, tasty “gohan” (meals).

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On a cold night, you may want to bring water to a boil in a pot, plop pieces of tofu in and let them simmer. Eating the boiled tofu while blowing to cool them is a joy special to winter.

But the only drawback is that you may grow tired of the light taste. This is where the “amazu ankake,” thick sweet-and-sour sauce, comes in. By keeping the ratio of sugar and vinegar at one to one, the subtle balance of not too sweet nor sour is achieved. The flavor held by the soft thickness nicely coats the tofu.

According to Katsuhiko Yoshida, who supervised the cooking aspect of the recipe, the sauce also goes well with lightly grilled “nagaimo” yam, and when poured on raw cauliflower, it will work as a dressing.

The merit of the thick sauce is its ability to change familiar dishes in dramatic ways. If the sweet-and-sour sauce is poured on fried chicken bought at a convenience store, it will light up the dinner table as a stylish Chinese dish.

The “arranged version” introduces a thick, ketchup-based sauce. The refreshing sour taste and the gentle sweetness of the egg go well together.

Some "katakuriko" starch do not have to be mixed with water.

Some people may like dishes with a thick texture yet find it troublesome to mix katakuriko starch with water.

Various food manufacturers now sell katakuriko that do not need to be mixed with water. The forerunner was Marusan Mita Shouten, based in Hokkaido. By grinding starch, the company succeeded in turning it granular. In 1992, the firm became the first in the industry to market the product as Toromichan, which, when sprinkled during the cooking process, thickens the food being heated.

Once the product was released, it was used in unexpected ways such as by mothers who found it to be useful in making baby food. Nowadays, some people are said to use it to prepare nursing-care meals not only when making dishes but also to thicken tea and water.

BASIC COOKING METHOD

(Supervised by Katsuhiko Yoshida in the cooking aspect and Midori Kasai in the cookery science aspect)

* Ingredients and cooking utensils (Serves two)

1 block (350 grams) tofu (soft silken type), 2 (about 6 grams) 10 cm-long dried kombu kelp, 2 leaves of green onion (banno-negi), 80 ml water, 3 Tbsp sugar, 3 Tbsp vinegar, 1 tsp sake, 1 and 1/2 Tbsp soy sauce, water-katakuriko starch mixture (1 tsp katakuriko and 2 tsp water)

1. Add just enough water to cover tofu and kombu kelp in pot. Turn on heat and when water becomes lukewarm, turn off heat. Add tofu that has been cut into six equal parts and turn on heat (PHOTO A). When tofu has become somewhat firm after about 2 minutes, lift them using ladle with holes and place on plate.

2. To make sauce, add water, sugar, vinegar, sake and soy sauce in bowl and mix thoroughly (PHOTO B).

3. Pour sauce in frying pan and place over high heat. Turn off heat when small bubbles emerge and add water-katakuriko mixture in small portions (PHOTO C). Turn on again to high heat. When large bubbles form and texture thickens, turn off heat and pour on tofu. Sprinkle chopped green onion on top.

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Katsuhiko Yoshida is the owner-chef of Jeeten, a restaurant in Tokyo’s Yoyogi Uehara, offering Chinese home cooking.

Midori Kasai is a professor at Ochanomizu University and chairwoman of the Japan Society of Cookery Science.

ARRANGED VERSION

Add 2 Tbsp each of sugar, vinegar and ketchup; 1 tsp each of sake and soy sauce; and 30 ml of water in bowl and mix well. Break 2 eggs in another bowl, add a pinch (about 3 grams) of salt and mix. Mix 1/2 tsp katakuriko starch with 1 tsp water. Pour 2 Tbsp oil in frying pan and place over high heat, add egg wash. Mix lightly to form large scrambled egg and serve on plate. Pour sauce mixture in the same pan and warm with residual heat. Add water-katakuriko mixture and cook over medium heat while mixing to thicken. Pour on scrambled egg and sprinkle 2 chopped leaves of green onion (banno-negi).

COOKERY SCIENCE

When food reaches the forked part between the windpipe and the esophagus, normally the lid closes the entrance to the windpipe, so the food enters the esophagus. When the ability to swallow weakens, the food may enter the windpipe before the lid closes and pulmonary aspiration could occur. This can be prevented by thickening the food ingredients and bringing them together so they become easier to swallow.

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From The Asahi Shimbun’s Gohan Lab column