Shira-ae Tofu Salad
I love the fact that there are some Japanese dishes that are so ancient that they can be traced back to the Edo period, Shira-ae is one of them. This Shira-ae Tofu Salad made with mashed tofu and seaweed might conjure up memories of eating dinner at grandma’s house for most Japanese of my generation. There’s a simple nostalgia surrounding this dish and like many Japanese recipes, using quality ingredients can turn something very simple into a beautiful tasting meal.
As we can tell by the name of this dish coming from the Japanese shira meaning “white” and ae “to mix”, the tofu and tahini sauce is white in colour and therefore this salad works well with a range of colourful, crunchy seasonal veg. At this time of year sugar snaps and green beans lightly blanched or steamed give texture to the dish but can easily be replaced by any other veg you have in your fridge such a broccoli or spinach. I like to add carrot to this recipe, a vegetable which remains in season for most of the year, has a great crunchy texture and adds a beautiful orange hint to the dish.
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I’d like to introduce you to Hijiki seaweed. This sea vegetable found on Japan’s rocky coastline has the appearance of tiny short strings and can be purchased dried and then rehydrated, try these. Hijiki is not only delicious but is also rich in vitamins such as iron and magnesium making it a nutritious addition to your diet. If you want to learn more about how Japanese ingredients can be nutritious then take a peek at my Japanese healthy cooking classes.
Tofu is a key ingredient here and many of you will be familiar with firm tofu and have probably used it as a meat replacement in your home cookery. Silken tofu is quite different and very much a delicacy in Japan. Kyoto is renowned for producing the best tofu in the country, if you are ever visiting the city make sure you take a trip to Shouraian – a restaurant serving the best tofu you will ever taste and will blow your preconceptions of tofu out of the water! The Japanese respect beautifully made tofu in the same way that Europeans might buy and enjoy a wonderful artisan cheese. In fact, in many restaurants and households silken tofu is served with nothing more than a couple of shaved bonito flakes, soy and chopped chives to highlight its fresh flavour and pleasing texture. If I’m buying silken tofu in the UK I tend to use Clearspring. Look for an organic tofu that has been made using Nigari, a natural setting agent extracted from seawater.
The combination of miso, silken tofu, soy and tahini make for a very satisfying vegan sauce in this recipe. Using silken tofu can also be used to add depth and creaminess to other sauces that you want to make dairy-free such as mayonnaise or bechamel sauce. Tahini is often associated with middle eastern cooking but many people don’t know that neri goma, Japanese sesame paste, is also a key ingredient in Japanese cooking. It can be made from either black or white sesame seeds and adds a delicious nutty richness to food. You can buy Neri Goma online, I often stick to a good quality tahini which is a more economical option. I like the brands Belazu or Baracke.
The perfect way to mix this sauce is using a suribachi. A treasured object in any Japanese kitchen, the suribachi resembles a pestle and mortar but with a rough, grooved surface on the inside of the bowl making it useful for grinding and making pastes. If you don’t have a suribachi or fancy picking one up you can easily use a pestle and mortar or a hand blender. Now it is time to try making this beautiful salad yourself. You can have it on its own or serve it as part of a meal plan as we often do in Japan. Ichiju-Sansai is a typical Japanese meal style which translates as “one soup three dishes”. Shira-ae would fit perfectly into this meal alongside miso soup and rice for a perfectly traditional and delicious Japanese meal. Itadakimasu!
Shira-ae Tofu Salad
Ingredients
- 60ml cup of Shiitake mushroom dashi (made using 4 dried shiitake mushrooms + 80 ml water, retain mushrooms once dashi is ready)
- 1 tbsp Hijiki seaweed
- 1 small Carrot
- 1 head of broccoli
- 1/2 tsp light soy sauce
- ½ tsp Sugar
- Pinch of Salt
- Shira-ae sauce
- 300g Firm Silken Tofu
- 1tbs White miso
- 3tbs Neri goma/Tahini
- 1/2tbs Brown sugar
- 1/2tbs Light soy sauce
- Pinch of salt
Method
- To make shitake mushroom dashi, put the dried shitake mushrooms into cold water and soak overnight. or pour hot water over them and infuse for 10-15 minutes. Keep the soaked shitake mushrooms to one side, once removed from the dashi.
- Put the dried hijiki into cold water for about 15-20 minutes, then rinse and drain well.
- Slice the carrots into 0.5cm x 2cm pieces and slice the soaked shitake mushrooms very thinly. In a small saucepan, cook the carrots, shitake mushrooms and Hijiki in the dashi, soy sauce, sugar and add a pinch of salt. Cook for a few minutes until the liquid is absorbed.
- Cut the broccoli into small pieces and boil them for 3-4 minutes. Then drain well.
- To make the shiraae sauce, wrap the tofu with a tea towel or paper towel and place a flat plate or small chopping board on top of it. Leave it for 15 minutes to squeeze out all excess liquid.
- Put all the ingredients into a suribachi (Japanese Pestle and Mortar), grind very well until it becomes a smooth sauce. You can use hand mixer too or traditional pestle and mortar for this stage instead.
- Add all the cooked vegetables to the sauce and mix together, before serving.
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