Tofu and Mushroom Braised in Soy Sauce

I’m not a religious person, but I’ve always seen myself as a Buddhist. Since young, that was something I never questioned, simply because my entire family was (and still is). We identify with Buddha’s principles and follow his teaching. In our home, we display his statue and picture on the altar, where we offer fresh fruits and flowers every week. That keeps the home warm and allows our prayers to be heard, my grandma tells me.

While we don’t practice vegetarianism, we abstain from meat four days every month (on 1^st, 14^th, 15^th and 30^th based on the lunar calendar), and sometimes for the entire month. During those days, in addition to vegetables, tofu is a common item on the dining table. The humble ingredient and its variation can be prepared in many ways: from pan-frying extra-firm tofu marinated in lemongrass and salt to quickly cooking soft silken tofu in soups. We use tofu as a meat replacement in various stir-fried dishes and filling for dumplings and spring rolls. We sprinkle crunchy tofu skin on piping hot bowl of noodle for texture.

My aunt also braises tofu and mushroom in soy sauce often. Calling it a braise is actually an overstatement, since you certainly need less than one hour to complete the dish. With its bold and deep flavor, this dish pairs well with plain rice. To balance the saltiness, we have a plate of steamed or raw leafy greens on the side.

With an abundance of crispy oven baked tofu on hand, I am ready to make this. Straw mushrooms are everywhere in Vietnam but are hard to come by here, so I replace them with shitake and brown button, both of which have more pronounced earthiness.

And there you have it, one more idea for #meatlessmonday.

What you’ll need:

2 tsp oil
2 tsp minced shallot (about half of a small one)
300 gr mushroom of your choice, cut into slices of 5mm-thickness (portabella, shitake and brown button worked for me)
2 tbsp soy sauce
4 tbsp water
1 tsp sugar
400 gr fried or baked tofu, cut into strips of 1-cm thickness

To garnish: black pepper, thinly-sliced spring onion

Here’s how:

1. In a small sauce pan, sauté the shallot with oil until fragrant.
2. Toss in the mushroom slices and cook on medium heat until they reduce half in size (about 10 minutes).
3. Add the soy sauce, water and sugar and let simmer for 5 minutes.
4. Add tofu and slightly toss to let the sauce coat evenly. Continue to cook for 5 minutes.

Garnish with black pepper and spring onion. Serve hot with rice and steamed or raw vegetables.