Kamaboko, tofu, mitsuba no tamagotoji / fishcake, tofu and mitsuba in light broth with egg

A tender combination of kamaboko, tofu and egg. Mitsuba adds a slight bitterness and fresh aroma.

<Ingredients>

1/4-1/3 tofu
3-4cm kamaboko fishcake
Several sprigs mitsuba
1 egg
100 cc dashi
2 tsp soy sauce
1 tbsp sake + mirin in combination
Ground sansho pepper (not in photo)


<Directions>
1.

Chop mitsuba into 2-3 cm pieces.
Cut kamaboko lengthwise into two and slice into 5-7 mm.
Lightly beat egg.

2.

In a pot, put dashi, soy sauce, sake and mirin, and bring to boil.

Put tofu by crushing by hand, and cook on medium low for several minutes until tofu takes on flavor.

Add kamaboko, and cook for 1-2 minutes.

3.

Add stem sections of mitsuba, swirl in egg, top with leaf sections of mitsuba, and cover.

Wait 30 seconds or so until egg is loosely set, and turn off heat.

4.

Serve in shallow bowls, sprinkling sansho pepper on top.

<Notes>

• Sansho pepper adds a punch. If not available, shichimi would work. These are optional.
• Kamaboko contains both sugar and salt. When cooking with kamaboko, using less salt (soy sauce) and sugar (mirin) is a good idea.
• For the sake + mirin combination, I use 2 parts sake and 1 part mirin (2 tsp sake and 1 tsp mirin for this dish).
• If mitsuba is not available, any leafy tender greens work just fine.