Mochi-Stuffed Tofu Pouches (もち巾着, Mochi Kinchaku)

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Wide shallow pot
• •Fine-mesh strainer lined with a clean cloth
• •Wooden drop-lid (otoshibuta), or a circle of parchment cut to fit the pot
• •Chopstick or narrow rolling pin for loosening the abura-age layers

Instructions

1. 1

   Steep the konbu

   Wipe the konbu with a damp cloth, but don't wash it. Put it in the cold water in a wide pot and bring it up slowly over low heat, about 10 minutes. Pull the konbu when the water trembles and small bubbles climb the sides, before it boils. Boiling the kelp pulls out bitterness and a slick texture, and this broth needs to stay clear because there is nowhere for muddiness to hide.

   You're steeping the konbu, not boiling it. That one restraint protects the clean taste of the whole pot.
2. 2

   Add the flakes

   Bring the water to a gentle boil, add the katsuobushi all at once, and turn off the heat. Leave it alone for 2 to 3 minutes, until the flakes sink. Strain through a cloth-lined sieve and let the dashi drip on its own. Don't squeeze. Squeezing presses the strong, oily taste from the flakes into the clear stock, which is exactly what you just worked to avoid.

3. 3

   Soften the kanpyō

   Rinse the kanpyō strips, rub them with the teaspoon of salt until they feel a little flexible, then rinse again. Soak them in warm water for 10 minutes, then simmer in fresh water for about 5 minutes, until a strip bends around your finger without cracking. Drain and pat dry. It is only a cord, but a stiff cord will cut the tofu, and a mushy one won't hold a knot.

4. 4

   Open the abura-age

   Set the abura-age in a colander and pour boiling water over both sides, or dip the sheets in boiling water for 1 minute. Press gently between towels, just enough to remove surface water. Roll each sheet once with a chopstick or narrow rolling pin, cut it crosswise in half, and open each half into a pocket with your fingers. The hot rinse removes excess frying oil so the dashi can enter; the rolling loosens the layers before you ask them to open.

5. 5

   Fill and tie

   Slip one half-piece of kirimochi into each abura-age pocket. Do not force it. The pouch should feel only half full. Gather the top and tie it closed with a strip of softened kanpyō, snug but not strangled.

   The first secret is room. Mochi swells as it softens, and a packed pouch bursts or leaks into the broth.
6. 6

   Season the broth

   Return the strained dashi to the wide pot. You want about 4 1/2 cups; add a little water if the pot is short. Add the usukuchi shōyu, mirin, sake, sugar, and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Taste it before the pouches go in. It should be clear and lighter than a heavy stew broth, but a little stronger than soup, because the abura-age will drink it and soften the edge.

7. 7

   Simmer gently

   Set the pouches in a single layer, knots up, and lay an otoshibuta, a wooden drop-lid, directly on the surface. A parchment circle with a small center hole does the same work. Bring the broth to the quietest simmer and cook 15 to 18 minutes, turning the pouches once if the broth is shallow. The lid keeps them bathed without stirring; stirring would bruise the tofu and invite the mochi to escape. They are done when the pouches look rounded and yield softly when pressed with chopsticks.

8. 8

   Rest and serve

   Turn off the heat and let the pouches rest in the broth for 10 minutes. Spoon 2 pouches into each bowl with enough broth to come around them, not drown them. Finish with a fine sliver of yuzu peel if using, and serve karashi on the side. Mochi asks for calm eating: bite it in small pieces, especially for children and older guests. If these are going into a larger oden pot, add them for the final 15 to 20 minutes, not at the beginning.

Chef Tips

• •Buy plain abura-age, not the sweet seasoned pouches sold for inari sushi. Those are useful in their own dish, but here they sweeten the broth before you've had a say in it.
• •Firm kirimochi is easiest to handle and softens at the right pace inside the pouch. Fresh very soft mochi can work, but it tries to escape before the tofu has taken on enough broth.
• •Kanpyō is the real cord for this dish. If you cannot find it, close the pouch with a short bamboo skewer or toothpick. It works, but it won't give the same quiet chew.
• •For a meatless table, make the dashi from konbu and dried shiitake: soak 10g konbu and 4 dried shiitake in 5 cups cold water overnight, then warm gently and remove the konbu before boiling. That is temple-kitchen honmono, not a compromise.
• •If the pouches are part of oden, add them near the end. Daikon and konnyaku may enjoy a long bath, but mochi does not have that sort of discipline.

Advance Preparation

• •The dashi can be made up to 2 days ahead and kept refrigerated. Reheat it gently before seasoning.
• •Kanpyō can be rinsed, salt-rubbed, simmered, dried, and refrigerated up to 1 day ahead.
• •The pouches can be filled and tied up to 1 day ahead. Keep them covered in the refrigerator and simmer from chilled, adding a minute or two.
• •Cooked pouches can rest in their broth for several hours and reheat gently. After overnight refrigeration, the mochi firms again, so warm it slowly and do not boil.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 300g)