Download our e-magazine here to see our beautiful curation of photos, stories and recipes, quite unlike those you’ve seen in travel guides!
Souperchef Special | Edamame “Tofu” With Chicken Miso
(Chicken/Contains Gluten/Contains Egg/Dairy-Free)
I took a double take when I heard we were going to visit the dadachamame farm in Yamagata Prefecture. Dada what?
So dadachamame is a kind of edamame or young soya beans. The regular edamame has three pods, while the dadachamame has only two. Popularised about a decade ago, dadachamame is fragrant and can dramatically increase the umami flavour in dishes. Inspired by the visit to the farm, I made a mental note to create a soup where the edamame is allowed to shine, since we are not able to get dadachameme in Singapore.
While thinking of what else to include in this soup, the goma dofu was the first to come to mind. At the Eiheiji Temple in Chubu region, I was particularly taken by the goma dofu, a tofu-like dish made from sesame seeds and arrowroot starch. This is a staple in Buddhist vegetarian cooking and I love how the taste surprises, since it does resemble the regular tofu a lot!
I have thus tried to recreate this ‘surprise’ by making a ‘tofu’ with mashed edamame and mountain yam with eggs, dashi stock and soy sauce, steamed till cooked. So, don’t go looking for the regular tofu in this soup! For a complete Japanese experience, don’t go without the shredded nori and shichimi togarashi (Japanese spice mix)!
Ingredients: Edamame ‘tofu’ (edamame, mountain yam, eggs, soy sauce, dashi stock), marinated chicken thigh, miso, ginger, onions, garlic, bunashimeji mushrooms, carrots, leek, salt, sugar and shirataki noodles (made from konnyaku).
Condiments: Shredded nori and shichimi togarashi.