Japanese Cream Stew


Vegetarian, Vegan, Gluten-free, Dairy-free

Meal Type
Dinner
Cuisine
Japanese
Author
japanesecooking101.com
Serves
4
Preparation Time
15 minutes
Cooking Time
40 minutes

Ingredients

Produce

  • 1 head broccoli, separated into pieces and blanched
  • 1 large onion, cut into small wedges ( or use cabbage)
  • 1 large carrot, sliced into 1/2" thick rounds
  • 3-4 medium potatoes, cut into 8-12 pieces each or 1 500g pack of gnocchi...

Protein

  • 450-500g firm tofu, frozen and defrosted
  • 2 tsp oil
  • 4-5 vegan sausages, thinly sliced (optional)

Roux

  • 3 Tbsp butter
  • 3 Tbsp flour

Liquids

  • 2 cups vegetarian chicken stock (or 2 cups water and 1 Tbsp chicken bouillon)
  • 2 cups soy milk, regular if possible

Seasoning

  • 1 tsp salt or to taste
  • white pepper
  • chopped parsley, optional

Instructions

Preparation

  1. Defrost your frozen tofu.
  2. Separate broccoli into individual flowerets. Blanch or steam for 2 minutes. Set aside.
  3. Cut vegetables accordingly. (you can use leftover roast vegetables if you want.)
  4. Press excess liquid from defrosted firm tofu and tear into bite sized pieces. Toss to coat with 1-2 teaspoons of vegetarian chicken flavoured stock powder or seasoning.

Cooking

  1. In a large pot, Heat chicken stock at medium heat.
  2. In a frying pan, Sauté seasoned tofu chunks with 1 tsp oil for a few minutes. Transfer browned tofu chunks to the stock pot.
  3. In the frying pan again, Heat another 1 tsp oil and cook the onion. Add carrot and potatoes to the pan, and cook for a couple of minutes.
  4. Add the vegetables (except the broccoli, if using) to the chicken stock and tofu, and lower the heat to medium low, cover with a lid, and cook for 15 minutes or until potatoes are tender.
  5. Wipe the frying pan clean, melt butter at medium heat, add flour, and cook for a couple of minutes.
  6. Gradually add soy milk whisking constantly so that the sauce doesn't form lumps.
  7. Add the sauce to stew and stir well. Season with salt and pepper. Cook uncovered for 10-15 minutes until the stew thickens.
  8. Stir in cooked broccoli. Serve with chopped parsley if you like.

Notes

  • You can add any vegetables you like, we often add frozen peas and fresh or canned champinion button mushrooms.
  • The original recipe used chicken thighs, I have had this dish made with canned tuna chunks when I was in country and it was so good I just had to recreate it as best I could and the japanesecooking101 ladies made a fantastic base recipe.
  • This is a very mellow soothing, comforting stew/ soup. fantastic for cold winter nights or cool rainy days.
  • You can definitely make this without the wheat flour, but if using an alternative starch, make sure you have a little more on hand to ensure you get the right consistency.
  • The gnocchi was a happy accident of laziness, now we usually use it instead... The sausages we added to clean up leftovers and are big fans.
  • If you want to make this gluten free, you can, just use 4-5 Tbsp gf flour, and check your stock powder, gnocchi and sausages if using.