Miso Vegetables & Tofu Recipe
A one-dish meal, inspired by a recipe in Harumi Kurihara's Everyday Harumi - asparagus, broccoli, and tofu tossed with a salty-sweet miso dressing.
My apologies in advance. It has been a bit busy on this end, and although this post will be on the short side, the recipe itself is particularly tasty. Eight ingredients and a few simple steps come together into something special. A light meal that still satisfies. The flavor profile is Japanese, and it's one of those preparations where an interesting dressing and good quality vegetables come together into something vibrant and uplifting. It's the sort of thing I like to have for lunch, but could also make a nice component in an al fresco dinner.
It's based loosely on a recipe I came across in Harumi Kurihara's beautiful Everyday Harumi cookbook. Harumi makes a seductively colorful side dish by dressing lightly blanched green beans, broccoli, and cauliflower in a salty-sweet miso dressing. I wanted to make a one-dish meal based on this general idea. I used in-season vegetables (the asparagus and broccoli caught my eye yesterday's market), and in addition to that, tofu I'd browned in a pan. You can certainly experiment with whatever vegetables are in season where you are.
Have a look at Everyday Harumi if you come across it, I bought a copy a few weeks ago, and there are quite a number of recipes I'm excited to try. It is beautifully produced, photographed, and designed. The recipes are completely (weekday) approachable, with plenty of inspiration for vegetarians and non-vegetarians alike.
Also, for those of you not familiar with Harumi, Julia Moskin wrote a nice profile of her a few years back for the New York Times - Empress of Domesticity Drops In.
Again, my apologies for being so short with this post - house guests, book writing, and preparing for a couple little trips - all creating the perfect storm of distraction this week!
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Miso Vegetables & Tofu
A couple notes: This recipe makes more dressing than you'll need. But the leftover will keep refrigerated for a week or two. As far as vegetables go, I used a combination of thin asparagus and broccoli florets here (in season), but Harumi uses green beans, cauliflower, and broccoli. Have fun experimenting with different in-season ingredients wherever you are.
6 oz awase miso (or blend or equal parts white & red miso)
1/4 cup sake
1/2 cup mirin
3 tablespoons sifted natural cane sugar
red pepper flakes or shichimi tōgarashi, a big pinch or two4 cups / 12 oz / 340 g bite-sized veggies (see headnotes)
12 ounces / 340 g baked or grilled (or lightly pan-fried) firm tofu, cut into bite-sized pieces
Start the dressing first. Combine miso, sake, mirin, and sugar in a small saucepan. Bring just to a boil, dial down the heat and simmer gently for about 20 minutes, or until it thickens a bit. Toward the end, stir in the red pepper flakes, adding to taste. Remove from heat and allow to cool.
In the meantime, bring a pot of water to a boil. Salt the water and blanch the vegetables very briefly, just long enough to take the raw edge off, no more than a minute. I knew the broccoli might take 20-30 seconds longer to cook than the thin asparagus, so I added it to the pot first. Use your best judgment based on whatever vegetables you are using. Drain and immediately run under cold water to stop the cooking. Drain well, you want to try to get as much water off the vegetables as possible.
In a large serving bowl gently toss the vegetables until thoroughly coated with 1/3 cup / 80 ml of the miso dressing. Add the tofu and toss again. Taste and add more dressing if you like, just keep in mind, this particular dressing is quite strong and rich. Serve family-style or individually topped with a bit more shichimi tōgarashi or a sprinkling of red pepper flakes.
Serves 4 - 6, plus leftover dressing.
Inspired by a recipe in Harumi Kurihara's Everyday Harumi. Published by Conran, 2009.
Prep time: 10 minutes - Cook time: 20 minutes
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Comments
I love miso on anything - it goes especially well with pan-fried salmon (!!) It adds such a wonderful taste and smell to the whole thing... I also love tofu as well! It's a major source of protein in my diet and takes on flavours so well ;D I love your blog! It's so clean and simple. I see so many recipes I want to try but I can't because I... well, I can't cook! But I'm trying to learn ;) Wei-Wei
So many ingredients in this are new to me (or my kitchen) - I'd love to try this! Thanks!
I have a tofu stir fry on my to make this list, this maybe a better option, sounds delish!
I loved your Coconut Cashew Curry recipe with tofu - it is really the only tofu dish that my whole family really enjoys. I will be showing it at a cooking demo this weekend. Hope to try this one soon also!
I've had miso and thought it had a great flavor. I haven't had tofu yet. I keep thinking it won't taste good. I should open my mind a bit more and give it a try!
this recipe looks fantastic! I can never find good ways to prepare tofu that I like so I'll have to try this one!
Like it!
Looks delicious! I went to a Japanese cooking class last week by Peter Chaplin and am now obsessed with Japanese food. Yum!
I love Harumi's practical approach to Japanese cooking and this looks deliciously simple to make, perfect for warm, balmy nights.
its look delicious...but i can't use sake because its forbidden in my religion...its containing alkohol..so may i have change that?
I love Japanese food, including miso soup, but I think the miso paste I find in the store uses a lot of MSG. Is making the paste from scratch too difficult?
I completely agree with Coco that sometimes dishes with only a few simple ingredients do end up being the yummiest......I feel like I can taste that dish through the photograph.......!
this looks absolutely yummy! I guess I have to take a look at Everyday Harumi, too!
Ahhh...light and healthy and exactly what I need to be eating after pounding lasagna for 3 days in a row:) When will I learn? Thanks!
Tasty and healthy! For the body and soul! Niamy!
Tofu is my favorite. It sounds like a Japanese recipe with all those Japanese ingredients. I'm so excited to try it.
Wow, this looks so nice and simple! I've recently rediscovered the joys of tofu, and this sounds right up my alley. Sometimes just a few ingredients can yield an incredibly satisfying result!
This looks like a delicious meal! Do you have a suggestion for a non-alcoholic substitute for the sake? Thanks!
I love the sound of this recipe. As I read your description, I could imagine myself sitting out on the patio and enjoying this light summery dinner!
I love your everyday/easy meals and I'm sure this one will make it into my regular rotation. I can't wait for Super Natural Everyday to come out. Good luck with the manuscript!
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