Agadashi Tofu (vegan)

Serves 4
This delicate recipe makes great use of fresh medium-soft tofu which will be crisp on the outside, soft in the middle. If you feel brave, you can try with silken tofu but this requires VERY gentle handling.

"This popular dish with its mild sauce and array of exotic garnishes is often served in an izakaya - the traditional Japanese bar that the salaryman frequents after work for a drink and a quick bite before making the long commute home."
~ Hema Parekh, 'The Asian Vegan Kitchen'

FOR THE TOFU
2 blocks of medium-soft or silken tofu about 300g (11 oz)
1/2 cup (80g) potato starch
vegetable oil for deep-frying

FOR THE SAUCE
1/2 cup (120ml) kombu  dashi (see method)
2 teaspoons of sake (optional)
2 teaspoons of mirin
2 Tablespoons of soy sauce

FOR THE GARNISHES (choose those you like)
60g (2 oz) daikon, peeled and grated
2.5cm (1 inch) cube fresh ginger, peeled and grated
Nori seaweed, toasted carefully over element, until crisp, cut into strips
Chopped chives
White sesame seeds, toasted in dry frying pan until aromatic
Shishito peppers
Shichimi 7-spice mix


TO MAKE THE DASHI

3 pieces of kombu kelp, each approx 10cm x 5 cm (4x2 inches)
3 1/2 cups of water

Soak the kombu in the water for 1 hour, then remove the kombu, and use the water as dashi. (If short on time, place water and kombu in a saucepan and bring to a simmer over low heat. As soon as it starts to boil, remove the kombu, turn off heat.


METHOD FOR AGEDASHI TOFU

1. Wrap each block of tofu in a thick dish towel and place in a flat dish. Let stand for 30 minutes.
2. arrange all the garnishes in small bowls and set them on the table.
3. in a small saucepan, combine all the sauce ingredients, and bring to. a boil. Turn the heat down to medium and and simmer for 2 minutes. Remove from heat.
4. Cut each block of tofu in half. Dab each piece in the potato starch, turning to coat evenly. Set aside on a dry dish. If you can, fry the tofu as soon as it is coated so coating stays on.
5. Fill one third of the frying pan with the vegetable oil and heat to 180 degrees celsius (350 F). Put one coated tofu piece in the hot oil and deep-fry until both sides are crisp and brown. Repeat with the remaining pieces. Drain on a paper towel. 
6. Transfer the tofu pieces to individual bowls. Pour a little sauce around the sides. Garnishes can be added according to individual preferences.

Here is a video tutorial (narrated by dog!) for a recipe for 2 people - or one person, one dog, I guess.

Agedashi Tofu by 'Cooking with Dog'

Corn Chowder

Another great recipe from Celia Brooks Brown's 'World Vegetarian Classics' It's creamy, filling and of course very tasty! I liked adding the corn kernels at the end as they keep their colour, flavour and add some nice texture.
The only thing I did different was to add some grilled red pepper (capsicum) on top - because they were on special and I liked the colour!

So here is her recipe representing New England, USA (interestingly, representing NZ was also corn - corn fritters)

Corn Chowder
Serves 6

4 fresh corn-on-the-cob (ears of fresh corn)
500ml/ 16 fl oz/ 2 cups water
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 bay leaves
2 T olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
1/2 t dried sage, crushed
1 t fresh thyme leaves or 1/2 t dried thyme
1 medium carrot, chopped
2 celery sticks (stalks) chopped
1 large potato, peeled and chopped
200g/ 7 oz/ generous 3/4 c cream cheese
125 ml/ 4 fl oz/ 1/2 c milk

In a large bowl, stand each corn-on-the-cob upright and strip the kernels by cutting downwards with a sharp knife, set aside. Place the stripped cobs in a large saucepan and add the water, a generous sprinkle of salt and the bay leaves. Bring to the boil and simmer, covered, for 15 minutes. Discard the cobs and bay leaves.

Heat the oil in a separate saucepan. Add the onion and cook until translucent (soft and becoming see-through). Add the herbs and remaining vegetables and cook for about 5 minutes, or until softened. Add the cob stock and simmer until the potato is collapsing. Meanwhile, place the corn kernels in another saucepan amd pour in enough cold water to barely cover. Bring to the boil and cook for two minutes. Do not drain; set aside.

Add the cream cheese and milk to the soup mixture, then puree until smooth, ideally with a hand-held blender. Stir in the corn kernels with their cooking liquid. Give the chowder one more whizz if desired, to break up corn kernels slightly. Reheat and adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper.