After spending two weeks in Japan, Andre and I have fallen in love with it more than ever. A prolonged smittenness towards the Land of the Rising Sun has gotten us inspired to live the way the Japanese do. And so, ever since we got back, we’ve been trying to eat and live healthier. An example is that every dinner-time, we try to avoid meat and eat more greens and fish. We still love our rice, but we do controlled portions now. Andre enjoys red rice, while I don’t (white rice forever)—so I bought Japanese rice in Don Don Donki (Singapore’s Don Quijote discount store from Japan) and eat only half a cup at most.

One of my favourite things to do with Japanese rice is place an egg yolk, pour some tamago sauce over it, and finish it off with a sprinkle of nori furikake, similar to what I did in my recipe for this mushroom dish.

Lately, we’ve been cooking with beancurd and beansprouts, and we’ve been taking turns experimenting with different ways of jazzing up our beancurd! Andre cooked his version with miso, oyster sauce, and a bit of mirin, and here’s my recipe: Butter Tonkatsu Beancurd. It combines hearty flavours with a touch of umami, thanks to the collision of the heady tonkatsu sauce and sweet butter. Spring onion cuts through the slightly rich sauce with its refreshing, garlicky taste.

Itadakimasu!

EASY BUTTER TONKATSU BEANCURD

INGREDIENTS (makes 2 servings)

• 1/2 pack Tau Kwa (or tokwa; however you want to spell it) it’s the firmer beancurd and not the silken one
• Salt
• 1 egg
• ½ tsp. low-sodium soy sauce
• Oil
• Tonkatsu sauce (I use the Bull-Dog brand)
• 1 tbsp. unsalted butter
• Chopped spring onions for garnish
• Paper towels

PREPARATION (around 30 minutes)

1. Remove your slab of beancurd and wrap it tight in a paper towel for around 15 minutes so it absorbs all the moisture out. This way, the egg dip will cling better to the tofu before frying.
2. After 15 minutes, unwrap the beancurd and slice around 1cm thick. Season with salt.
3. Make your egg dip by beating the egg with the soy sauce.
4. Place your non-stick skillet on the stove, and turn it up to medium-high. Add oil and wait for it to sizzle.
5. Dip the beancurd slices in the egg dip and place on pan. Wait for the egg to cook then flip to the other side.
6. Place cooked beancurd on paper towels to get rid of excess oil, then transfer to serving dish.
7. Pour tonkatsu sauce, depending on how much you like, all over cooked beancurd.
8. Melt the butter then pour it over the cooked beancurd.
9. Add some finishing salt, then sprinkle chopped spring onions.
10. Serve with nice, piping-hot Japanese rice.