Canned Mackerel Tofu (Everyday Mapo Tofu Style)

Rehydrate the dried shiitake. Put the dried shiitake and about 1 cup of water in a heatproof container, cover loosely with plastic wrap, and microwave for about 3 minutes. Other dried goods such as wood ear mushrooms can be rehydrated the same way.

Cut the tofu. Excess water seeps out from the cut surfaces, so it is good to cut it early.

Coarsely chop 1/2 an onion.

Take out the rehydrated shiitake (they are hot, so leave them in the microwave for a while). Keep the soaking liquid instead of discarding it since it is full of umami, remove only the tough stem ends, and chop the mushrooms finely.

Chop the aromatics. Finely chop the garlic, finely chop about the same amount of ginger, and chop the green onion for topping. The prep is now complete.

Add a small amount of oil to a frying pan and sauté the garlic and ginger over low heat to draw out their aroma. There is no need to cook them until they brown.

Once fragrant, add the onion and chopped shiitake and stir-fry briefly until the onion turns translucent.

Add the entire can of mackerel along with its liquid, breaking up the flesh as you mix it in. Add about 1 tablespoon of sake to remove the fishy smell.

Add about 150cc of the shiitake soaking liquid, then add the tofu. Simmer together until the tofu is soft and jiggly, letting it absorb the umami of the broth.

Season it. Add 1 tablespoon of miso, dissolving it properly so it doesn't clump, drizzle in 1/2 tablespoon of soy sauce, and add about 1/3 teaspoon of Hondashi. Taste it here, and if it is too weak, reduce it further or add a little more soy sauce.

Thicken with the potato starch slurry. It clumps at high temperatures, so turn off the heat once to lower the temperature before drizzling it in; once thickened, reheat to set it, and finally bring it up to piping hot over high heat.

To finish, drizzle over sesame oil if you like and sprinkle on as much white pepper as you want. Top with the chopped green onion and it's done. If you want some heat, sprinkle on ichimi togarashi.