Make a double or triple batch of the dashi and freeze in airtight containers to keep for making savory soups on the fly.
Recipe information
Yield
4 servings
Ingredients
Preparation
Step 1
Stir 1/4 cup soy sauce and brown sugar in a medium bowl. Cut tofu into 1/2"-thick slabs and then into squares. Pat dry with paper towels. Add tofu and toss to coat. Let sit, tossing occasionally, 20 minutes.
Step 2
Meanwhile, remove green tops from scallions and very thinly slice; set aside. Coarsely chop white parts and place in a medium pot. Add mushrooms, kombu, ginger, garlic, and 8 cups water and bring to a simmer over medium-high. Reduce heat to low and cook 10 minutes. Remove from heat; discard kombu. Let dashi sit 20 minutes (this will coax more flavor from aromatics), then fish out and discard scallions, mushrooms, ginger, and garlic.
Step 3
Heat vegetable oil in a large skillet, preferably nonstick, over medium-high. Cook tofu, working in batches if needed, until golden brown and crisp around edges, about 3 minutes per side. Transfer to paper towels to drain; season with salt.
Step 4
While tofu is cooking, bring dashi to a boil. Add bok choy and carrots and cook until tender, about 3 minutes. Add remaining 2 Tbsp. soy sauce; taste and season with more salt if needed.
Step 5
Ladle soup into bowls and add tofu, radishes, and reserved scallion tops; drizzle with sesame oil.
Do Ahead
Step 6
Dashi can be made 3 days ahead. Let cool; cover and chill, or freeze up to 3 months.
Leave a Review
Reviews (5)
Back to TopI modified the recipe a little by adding two cups of chicken broth and not throwing away the mushrooms.
mishaB
Houston, Texas
1/19/2021
Delicious and Healthy Added some cayenne and a side of jasmine rice.
christina_per
Colorado
2/27/2020
Yea I’ll be making normal dashi from now on instead of spending a ton on wasted tasteless shiitake broth. What a useless recipe. I agree with Wildsoles on this one.
iscreamforlimabeans
Providence RI
1/29/2020
Have made so many recipes from Epicurious with great success, but NOT this one! 3 minutes per side on the tofu was way too long -- burned the first batch. Broth lacked any depth of flavor whatsoever. And, sad that the recipe calls for tossing out all the mushrooms after making the dashi. As expensive as shiitakes are, why not retain half to add with the vegetables at the end, and use something else (a less expensive mushroom perhaps) for making the dashi. Ended up pouring the whole thing down the drain. I love Asian soups, but this recipe was a fail.
wildsoles
Seattle area
12/15/2019
Flavorful and easy. I only used 1 tsp of brown sugar with the soy sauce and that was enough. I pan fried tofu in sesame oil instead of veg oil, and omitted the oil at the end. Next time, I'll use daikon radish and Chinese broccoli instead of bok choy.
lisakat
Austin, TX
9/28/2018
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