Simmered Beef and Tofu (Niku Dofu)

Step 1

Gather all the ingredients.

Step 2

Cut the onion into ½-inch (1.3 cm) wedges.

Step 3

Cut the green onion into thin diagonal slices.

Step 4

Discard the stems of the shiitake mushrooms and slice the caps in half.

Step 5

Cut the block of tofu in half, then cut each half into 4 slices roughly ¾ inch (2 cm) thick.

Step 6

Cut the sliced beef into 3- to 4-inch (7.6-10 cm) pieces.

Step 7

In a large frying pan, combine the dashi, sake, mirin, sugar, and soy sauce. Mix them all together and bring it to a simmer over medium heat. Why do we use so little cooking liquid? Please read under the Tips section in the blog post.

Step 8

Once the liquid is simmering, add the beef and cook until it's no longer pink. Keep it simmering, NOT boiling, and lower the heat if needed.

Step 9

When the beef is no longer pink, transfer it to a plate. Using a fine-mesh skimmer, skim off the scum from the cooking liquid, if you see any.

Step 10

Add the tofu and onion to the pan. Cover the pan with a tight-fitting lid and let it simmer for 5-6 minutes.

Step 11

Once in a while, shake the covered pan to coat the ingredients with the cooking liquid. Tip: If you open the lid, the moisture/cooking liquid will evaporate, so it's best to gently shake the pan with the lid on.

Step 12

Move the cooked onion to the side of the pan, creating a space for the additional ingredients. Add the reserved beef back to the pan along with the shiitake mushrooms and green onion.

Step 13

Cook for 2-3 minutes until all the ingredients are heated thoroughly. You can either serve it immediately or keep the pan covered and let it cool naturally, then reheat before serving. This extra step allows the ingredients to better absorb the flavor of the savory and sweet broth.

Step 14

You can keep the leftovers in an airtight container and store in the refrigerator for 3 days. You can also freeze it without the tofu for up to a month. The texture of the tofu will change once frozen, so it's best to remove it.