Recipe from Allicia Kinoshita

Shirataki has very little calories and is high in fiber.

Preparation of Shirataki

Rinse Shirataki and put in boiling water for a few minutes then take out from water and drain.  Shirataki can be cut to your desired length.

Ingredients

1 package Aloha Tofu Shirataki

1/4 medium size onion, sliced

1/4 medium size green pepper, sliced

1/4 medium size carrot, julienne

2 oz. beef or pork, sliced thin

1/2 tablespoon oil

1 tablespoon Gochujang or miso

1 tablespoon sugar

1/2 tablespoon soy sauce

1 teaspoon Sesame oil

Salt & pepper to taste

Process

1)     Cut carrots.  Cook them in the microwave oven for 30-45 seconds.

2)     Sprinkle salt & pepper on Shirataki in a small bowl.  Mix well.

3)     Heat oil in a frying pan, saute meat for 1 minutes.  Add onions and green pepper, saute for another couple of minutes until meat is cooked.

4)     Add Shirataki, cooked carrots, Gochujang and sugar.  Stir well.

5)     Remove from heat.  Add soy sauce and sesame oil, and mix well.

Alternatives:  You can use any vegetable.  Adjust sweetness depending on the flavor of Gochujang or miso.

Recipe courtesy of Carol Gabbard.  Picture from Senator Mike Gabbard’s buffet table at opening day of the 2011 Hawaii legislature.

Ingredients:

2 blocks firm Aloha tofu

3 tablespoons oil

3 tablespoons soy sauce or to your taste

1 teaspoon black pepper or to your taste

1 teaspoon Spike (a salt and herb seasoning)

½ cup chopped onion

2 teaspoons minced garlic

Your favorite BBQ sauce

Preparation:

Let tofu drain for a couple hours.  (I make a slit in the plastic covering and pour out the water leaving the tofu in the container.  I then put a can of soup on top to speed up the process of draining off more water before cutting tofu.)

Cut the tofu in ½ inch cubes and put in a bowl.  Add the oil, soy sauce, pepper and spike and gently stir, so you minimize breakage of the cubes.  Place tofu on an oiled cookie sheet and spread out evenly so pieces aren’t on top of each other.  Put in a 350 degree preheated oven.  Stir once or twice while baking.  Depending on the amount of water in the tofu, it will take 20-35 minutes to brown nicely.  The tofu will sometimes puff up, which is fine, and that is the time to remove from the oven.

Sauté onion and garlic in a 2 Tbsp oil in a large skillet until onion is soft.  Add the tofu and enough BBQ sauce to cover nicely.  Stir and simmer covered for 10-15 minutes.

This is delicious served with brown rice, and is even better the next day!

Moriyama, Yukiko. Quick & Easy A Taste of Tofu; Mastering The Art of Tofu Cooking. Tokyo: JOIE, Inc., 1988.

Ingredients:

4 deep-fried tofu cutlets (Atsuage or Yakidofu)

1-3/4 oz bamboo shoots, cut into 2 inch long juliene strips, about 1/2 cup

1 carrot, cut into 2 inch long julienne strips

2 green peppers sliced thin

4 shiitake mushrooms or 8 fresh mushrooms

1 zucchini, 1/4 inch thick slices

1 cup bean sprouts

3 to 4 tablespoons vegetable oil

Sweet & Sour Sauce:

4 tablespoons rice vinegar

2 tablespoons light soy sauce

1-1/2 tablespoons sugar

2 tablespoons ketchup

1-1/4 cup chicken broth

1 tablespoon cornstarch plus 2 tablespoons water for thickening

Preparation:

Dip deep-fried tofu into boiling water for 30 seconds to remove grease; drain on paper towels.  Cut into triangles or serving sizes.

Soak shiitake mushrooms in lukewarm water until soft; cut off stems.  Slice thin.

Mix all Sweet & Sour Sauce ingredients.  Set aside.

Heat wok over medium-high heat; add 2 tablespoons oil.  Add bamboo shoots, carrots, green peppers, mushrooms, zucchini and bean sprouts and stir for 2 to 3 minutes.

Blend in Sweet & Sour Sauce ingredients and cook for 2 minutes over high heat.  Add dissolved cornstarch and boil 30 seconds.  Remove from heat.

Heat 2 tablespoons oil in skillet over medium-high heat; add tofu cutlets; stir fry for 1 minute.  Place in serving platter and serve Sweet & Sour Sauce over tofu cutlets.

Makes 4 servings.

Moriyama, Yukiko. Quick & Easy A Taste of Tofu; Mastering The Art of Tofu Cooking. Tokyo: JOIE, Inc., 1988.

Ingredients:

3-1/2 oz natto package

1/2 to 1 cake of konnyaku, sliced into thin strips

14 oz firm tofu

2 cup chopped mitsuba trefoil or green vegetable leaves

3-1/4 cup dashi stock

3 level tablespoon red miso

Chopped green onion (optional)

Preparation:

Cut tofu into 1 inch cubes.  Chop, mash or grind natto and mix with small amount of dashi stock.

In 3-quart saucepan, heat dashi stock and add konnyaku strips; bring to a boil.  Add red miso, natto and tofu; stir to mix and cook for 1 to 2 minutes over medium high heat until almost boiling.  Add chopped mitsuba and remove from heat.  Sprinkle with chopped green onion.

Makes 4 servings.

Note:  Deep-fried tofu pouches (last week’s recipe), taro, shiitake mushrooms or green onion can be added to this soup.

1 ½ cups white rice

1 ½ cups mochi rice

½ cup white sesame seeds

½ pound soybeans* (optional)

*soybeans can be purchased at Japanese food stores already packaged in water.

Seasoning:

3 tablespoons sesame seed oil

3 tablespoons shoyu (soy sauce)

3 tablespoons sake

3 tablespoons mirin

1 tablespoon Dashi powder

1 teaspoon salt

Preparation:

After washing and draining white rice, place white rice, mochi rice, sesame

seeds, and soybeans into rice cooker.

Add seasoning ingredients into cup used to measure rice and top off with water.

Pour into rice cooker.

Add 2 more cups of water (using rice measuring cup) into rice cooker.

Cover and cook.

Ingredients:

6 ounces tofu, drained

1 – 6 ounce can of tuna (drain oil or water)

1/2 cup chopped celery

1/4 cup chopped onions

minced parsley (optional)

2 1/2 tablespoons mayonnaise

1 teaspoon lemon juice

1 teaspoon salt

Preparation:

Crumble tofu with potato masher and mix last 3 ingredients.  Flake tuna; mix with tofu.  Add celery and onion into tuna and tofu mixture.  Arrange lettuce leaves in salad bowl; place tuna and tofu mixture in center.  Sprinkle minced parsley according to preference.

Ingredients:

1 block tofu, cut into 1/2″ cubes

2 tablespoons oil

1/4 pound pork hash or ground chicken or turkey

1/8 cup dried shrimp, soaked

Broth Mixture Ingredients:

1/2 cup chicken broth

1 teaspoon chili garlic sauce (substitute: chili pepper)

Cornstarch Mixture Ingredients:

2 tablespoons cornstarch

2 tablespoons water

2 tablespoons shoyu

1 tablespoon oyster sauce

1 teaspoon Hawaiian salt

Garnish Ingredients:

green onions, finely chopped

Chinese parsley, chopped

Preparation:

Heat oil.

Saute meat and dried shrimp.

Add broth and bring to boil.  Simmer covered for 5 minutes.

Add tofu.  Stir lightly until tofu is well-heated.

Thicken with cornstarch mixture.

Garnish with green onions and Chinese parsley.

cooked rice

1/3 pounds ground chicken

2/3 container Firm Aloha Tofu

20 pieces snow peas, julienne cut

4 fresh shiitake mushrooms, chopped

Scrambled eggs:

4 eggs

1 tablespoon sugar

pinch of salt

Seasoning for ground chicken:

6 tablespoons shoyu (soy sauce)

3 tablespoons sugar

3 tablespoons mirin (Japanese sweet cooking rice wine)

3 tablespoons sake (Japanese rice wine)

Preparation:

Wrap the tofu block in a paper towel, set aside for 20 minutes to soak up the

moisture.

Sauté ground chicken, tofu, and shiitake mushrooms with seasoning ingredients.

Scramble eggs with the sugar and pinch of salt.

Cut the snow peas into slivers (julienne), boil in lightly salted water and drain after cooked.

Mound the hot steamed rice into four individual bowls. On top of each serving, arrange the ground chicken, scrambled eggs and snow peas into three distinct sections.

(0ptional) you can use the red ginger for coloring.

Makes 4 servings

Ingredients:

20 small round disks rice paper

1 (20 ounce) container Firm Aloha Tofu, drained and cut lengthwise into strips about 1/4″ thick

10 green leaf lettuce leaves, cut in half

2 ripe avocados, sliced into slivers

1 bunch Thai basil (mint leaves)

1 bunch cilantro

watercress sprigs

1/2 cup chopped roasted peanuts

Preparation:

Working one at a time, dip each disk of rice paper into some water for about 20 seconds to soften. Shake dry, then lay it on a clean surface. On each rice paper wrapper, place 1/2 piece of green leaf lettuce on about a third of the rice paper nearest you. Then layer the Aloha Tofu and one of more slices of avocado, basil, mint, and cilantro leaves. Sprinkle with a little roasted peanuts.

Roll up the rice paper wrapper around the filing. Tuck one end of the rice paper in around the filling from falling out but leave the other end open. Tuck a sprig of watercress into the open end for garnish. Place seam side down on a dish until all are rolled.

Dipping Sauce: Serve with sweet Thai red chili sauce or make a sauce by mixing 1/4 cup hoisin sauce, 3 tablespoons soy sauce, 1 teaspoon lemon juice and 1/4 teaspoon sesame oil.

Makes 20 appetizers, serves 6-7 persons.