Yakidofu to tomyo, enoki no chuka-nibitashi / broiled tofu, sugar pea shoots and enoki mushrooms in Chinese broth

Sugar pea shoots, a common Chinese stir-fry ingredient, are a great companion with simmered tofu in this everyday Japanese dish with a Chinese twist.

1/2 of recipe:
98 calories; 8.2 g protein; 4.9 g fat; 5.5 g carbohydrate; 3.2 g net carbs; 233 mg sodium (with 50% reduced-sodium soy sauce; 309-327 mg with regular soy sauce); 0 mg cholesterol; 2.3 g fiber


<Ingredients>

1/2 (130-150 g) yakidofu broiled tofu (128 g in photo)
50 g tomyo (da dou miao) sugar pea shoots
50 g enoki mushrooms
1 small clove garlic
1 small knob ginger
100 cc chicken stock
1/2 tbsp Shaoxing wine
1 tsp oyster sauce
1 tsp soy sauce
1/2 tsp oil


<Directions>
1.

Thinly slice garlic and ginger.
Slice yakidofu into 4 pieces crosswise.
Cut tomyo into 4-5 cm.
Cut off root ends of enoki, and cut in half.

Separate lower parts of enoki into smaller bundles as necessary (the mushrooms tend to stay together and you will get a thick bundle at the end).

2.

In a small pot, heat oil, and saute garlic and ginger on low heat until fragrant.

Add chicken stock, Shaoxing wine, oyster sauce and half of specified amount of soy sauce; bring to boil.

3.

Add yakidofu, place otoshibuta drop cover directly on top, and simmer on low heat for 10 minutes.

Flip yakidofu once while simmering for even flavoring.

4.

Remove otoshibuta, move yakidofu to make space, raise heat to medium low, and add enoki.

5.

When enoki start to soften, add tomyo, cover, and cook for 1 minute.

(After 1 minute, volume is reduced somewhat.)

Move yakidofu to make space, and flip tomyo so shoots come in contact with broth.

6.

Taste, and add soy sauce as necessary.

<Notes>

• If sugar pea shoots are not available, snow pea shoots (xiao dou miao; skinnier stems and smaller leaves) work fine, too. Sugar pea shoots result in a more tender taste and texture.
• If Shaoxing wine is not available, sake works well, although Shaoxing wine adds a deeper, aromatic flavor to the dish.
• If yakidofu is not available, firm tofu should work fine. 
• Otoshibuta is a cover that is directly placed on top of ingredients when they are cooked with a small amount of liquid. Above, I used parchment paper cut to fit in the pot.
• Depending on the actual amount of ingredients and how long they are cooked, this dish could be salty. Therefore, first add only 1/2 of the specified amount of soy sauce, and adjust the flavor at the very end immediately before serving. If you plan to make this dish ahead of time and heat it up later, use more chicken stock (120-150 cc) or reduce oyster sauce and soy sauce, and adjust the flavor before serving.
• Sodium intake would be slightly lower than the figure above, as some broth (10-20%) would not be consumed.
• Sugar pea shoots have a lot of Vitamin K, and those who take warfarin, an anticoagulant, should avoid eating a large amount on consecutive days, or so I surmise from data that shows the Vitamin K content of snow pea shoots is 320 µg raw/100 g, which is higher than that of spinach (270 µg raw, 320 µg boiled).