Silken Tofu with Soy Mirin Dip

The star of this recipe is the Soy Mirin Dip.  It is amazing in taste and extremely simple to prepare.  You can not only use it to dip the silken tofu but also any steamed vegetables you might have like broccoli.  I had a similar dip with deep fried tofu with bonido flakes at Sawa Japanese Restaurant in Monroeville, PA two days ago.  I had four other vegetarian appetizers aside from this, seaweed salad with sesame oil, steamed broccoli with garlic sauce and vegetarian dumpling with its dipping sauce.  Yesterday as I googled how to prepare a similar dish I found out that bonido flakes come from fish.  Oops. And I thought I was having an all vegetarian lunch.

In my research to prepare this dish, I found a website that prepared the deep fried tofu using the ingredients I have below.  I decided to pan fry it on a skillet sprayed with cooking spray.  I would say I would have preferred to have deep fried it but then I wanted to be faithful to the  plant based eating approach, no oil even plant oil is the norm
The cornstarch mixture coating got separated from the tofu when I started eating the coated tofu. It did look good in the pictures.  Next time I would just skip the coating and just bake it naked without even the seasonings.

You really do not need any coating or even any marinating of the tofu.  The amazing dip made from soy, mirin and lemon juice give the tofu enough flavor.  I had the tofu with steamed broccoli which I dipped in the same mixture.  I was in heaven.

If you are looking for an easy plant based appetizer this is it.  You do not have to go to a sushi or Chinese buffet. The dip will satisfy your craving and note how easy it is to prepare.

Silken Tofu with Soy Mirin Dip

Tofu

• 1 block silken tofu (note 1)
• 1/4 cup cornstarch (optional note 2)
• 1/8 tsp each salt and pepper (optional note 2)
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder (optional note 2)
• cooking spray if cooking on a skillet or baking or oil if deep frying

Cut a block of silken tofu into rectangular or square blocks.  I was able to get eight rectangular blocks.  If using the coating, combine the cornstarch, salt, pepper and garlic powder in a plate.  Carefully cover the silken tofu with the coating.  Spray a skillet and cook the naked or coated tofu until golden and be sure to turn it to brown each sides.  If baking, bake the naked or coated tofu at 400 degrees for 30-40 minutes till crisp.  One can also deep fry the coated tofu if you want to take a furlough from the plant based approach.     

Dip

• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• 4 tbsp mirin
• juice of 1/2 lemon
• 1 tbsp sugar

Whisk all the ingredients in a bowl till blended.

Notes:

1. I prefer the texture of silken tofu for this dish.  You can use soft or firm tofu also.  Press carefully the silken tofu in paper towels to remove the moisture.  Do the same when using the soft or firm tofu but be more extra careful in handling the silken tofu.

2.  As I mentioned in the introduction, you do not need the coating so the cornstarch, salt, pepper and garlic powder are optional. The dip flavors the naked tofu effectively.