Japanese-Style Rice & Silken Tofu Bowl

📝 Ingredients

• 150 g Japanese short-grain rice (sushi rice)
• 300 g silken tofu (1 block)
• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tsp rice vinegar + 1 tsp sesame oil
• 10 g fresh ginger
• 2 spring onions (about 20 g each)
• 10 g sesame seeds (about 1 tbsp)
• 1 nori sheet

🍴 Utensils

• Saucepan with lid
• Small frying pan
• Fine grater
• Kitchen scissors
• Wide spatula
• Colander

📖 Steps

1. Rinse the rice in a bowl of cold water, rubbing it between your hands, pour off the water and repeat 4 to 5 times, until it's almost clear. Drain for 10 min in a sieve.
2. Put the rice in the saucepan with 200 ml cold water, cover and bring to the boil over a high heat. Turn down to a very low heat and cook for 12 min without lifting the lid, then leave to stand for 10 min off the heat, still covered.
3. While it cooks, dry-toast the sesame seeds in the small frying pan over a medium heat for 2 to 3 min, stirring, until lightly golden and nutty-smelling. Tip them straight onto a plate so they don't burn.
4. Peel the ginger by scraping off the skin with a spoon and grate it finely. Thinly slice the spring onions into rounds, both white and green parts. Cut the nori sheet with scissors into thin 3 cm strips.
5. Mix the soy sauce, rice vinegar and sesame oil in a bowl. Open the tofu packet, pour off the water and carefully turn the tofu out onto a board: it's very fragile. Cut it into 4 blocks and keep it in the fridge until the last moment.
6. Divide the hot rice between 2 bowls. Place 2 blocks of cold tofu on each bowl, sliding them on with the wide spatula, then top with grated ginger and spring onion.
7. Pour the sauce over the tofu and rice, sprinkle with sesame and add the nori strips just before serving, otherwise they go soft. Eat straight away to enjoy the contrast between the hot rice and cold tofu.