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

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“Jia chang doufu,” known in Japan as “kajo tofu,” is a Chinese dish of tofu deep fried at a high temperature and then sauteed and simmered with vegetables or dried food. The thickened sauce adds a final touch.

As the Chinese characters for “kajo” meaning “home” and “always” show, the dish features whatever ingredients are available at the time, and each family is said to have its own flavor.

This time we will use the fuss-free deep-fried tofu, which is less likely to crumble and already has the rich savor of fried food. It is a failproof dish that can be made in a short time by allowing the deep-fried tofu to absorb the spicy sauce rich in the flavors of pork belly and mushrooms.

Other than “komatsuna” leaves listed in the ingredients, you may use bok choy (“chingensai”) or other vegetables that cook easily. The filling dish will become a nutritionally balanced main fare.

The arranged version is also a Chinese dish featuring “kaimi” (“guaiwei” in Chinese), meaning “complex taste.” With layers of sourness, sweetness plus the aroma of sesame seeds and herb vegetables, it offers an exotic flavor that will have you craving for more.

The sauce goes well with a wide range of dishes, from boiled beansprouts and pork shabu-shabu to stick-shaped salad vegetables. For the arranged version, deep-fried tofu is boiled to reduce the oil so the sauce can coat it effectively.

CONSUMPTION IS FALLING

How much of tofu and deep-fried tofu, both thick and thin, are being consumed?

According to the official family budget survey, annual spending per household (of two or more members) in 2020 was 5,309 yen ($50) for tofu and 3,027 yen for deep-fried tofu and “ganmodoki” (fried tofu fritter with vegetable pieces).

In 2000, the figures were 7,484 yen for tofu and 3,716 yen for deep-fried tofu and ganmodoki.

Although a simple comparison cannot be made because the number of members in a household has been reduced and the prices of tofu and deep-fried tofu have changed, their consumption seems to be falling in the long run.

BASIC COOKING METHOD

(Supervised by Katsuhiko Yoshida in the cooking aspect and Midori Kasai in the cookery science aspect)
 
* Ingredients (Serve two)

240 grams thick deep-fried tofu (“atsu-age”), 40 grams “eryngii” mushroom, 60 grams “shimeji” mushroom, 100 grams komatsuna green, 100 grams pork belly slices, some sake, soy sauce and “katakuriko” starch, bit of black pepper,1 tsp sugar, 1/2 tsp “doubanjiang,” 2 Tbsp oil, 1 tsp sesame oil

 About 485 kcal and 2.6 grams salt per portion

 
1. Cut komatsuna into 3-cm pieces. Cut length of eryngii in half, then in half lengthwise and cut into 5-mm slices. Remove hard end from shimeji and separate pieces. Cut deep-fried tofu into dices about 4 cm on a side (PHOTO A).

2. Cut pork slices into 3-cm pieces. Place in bowl, add 1 tsp each of soy sauce and sake, bit of black pepper and katakuriko starch and mix (PHOTO B).

3. Pour oil in frying pan and place on medium heat and stir-fry pork. When its color changes, add deep-fried tofu, komatsuna and mushrooms.

Add 200 ml water and turn up to high heat. When pan comes to a boil, add 1 Tbsp sake and 3 Tbsp soy sauce, as well as sugar and doubanjiang, and simmer (PHOTO C). When the content is cooked after about a minute, turn off heat for the time being.

4. Pour katakuriko starch mixed with water (1 tsp each of katakuriko and water), and turn on to high heat. Mix and thicken sauce mildly. When pan comes to a boil again, pour sesame oil in circular motion.

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

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

ARRANGED VERSION

Kaimi tofu

Cut 240 grams thick deep-fried tofu into dices 1.5 cm on a side or into sticks measuring 1x1x3 cm, boil in hot water for 10 seconds and drain on sieve. In a bowl, thoroughly mix 2 Tbsp each of sesame seed paste and soy sauce, 1 Tbsp each of vinegar and sesame oil, 1 tsp sugar, 1/2 tsp each of grated garlic, grated ginger and whole-grain mustard. Add finely chopped green onion (thin “aonegi” type) and deep-fried tofu and mix carefully.

COOKERY SCIENCE

To make thin deep-fried tofu (“abura-age”), thinly sliced tofu is fried twice in about 120-degree and then in 180-degree oil. During the first frying, the water content escapes as vapor while expanding, creating holes inside the protein film. When it is fried the second time, the tofu turns golden.

Thick deep-fried tofu is made by frying thickly cut tofu once in around 180-degree oil. Its surface is golden brown, and it contains more water than the thin type.