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Clear dashi with silken tofu and egg ribbons

Silken tofu and egg ribbons in a broth you can see through

Easy10 min hands-on · 15 min totalServes 1
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A bowl of clear dashi broth with cubes of silken tofu and fine egg ribbons, a spoon resting inside.

Serves one. Doubling works in the same pan, though pour the egg in two batches so the ribbons stay fine rather than clumping.

Dashi is the clearest broth there is, and this version keeps it that way: no spring onion scattered over the top, no shreds of nori, nothing but the broth itself and what goes into it. Silken tofu barely needs cooking, only warming through so it stays whole rather than falling apart. The egg is what turns this from a cup of stock into a proper light meal: poured in slowly while you swirl the pan, it sets into fine ribbons rather than a solid sheet, so every spoonful catches a little of it. This is more assembly than cooking, and the pan is back off the heat before the tofu has begun to soften at the edges.

Suits after surgery, a narrowed bowel, chemotherapy diarrhoea, a new stoma, during pelvic radiotherapy, after a low anterior resection

Tags Quick · Dairy-free option

Ingredients

Contains: Soya, Gluten, Egg, Milk, Celery

  • 400 mlclear light stock, made from instant dashi granules, or a light stock, strained clear
  • 1 tspsoy sauce
  • 1 tspmirin
  • 100 gsilken tofu, drained and cut into small cubes
  • 1egg, beaten
  • 10 gunsalted butter, for a rounder finish — optional

Method

  1. Bring the stock to a gentle simmer in a small pan. Stir in the soy sauce and mirin.

  2. Add the tofu cubes and warm through for 1 to 2 minutes, without letting the pan boil hard, so the cubes stay whole.

  3. Turn the heat down to the lowest simmer, then pour the beaten egg in slowly from a jug in a thin stream, moving it in a circle over the surface, so it sets into fine ribbons rather than a single sheet.

  4. Let it sit for 30 seconds without stirring, until the ribbons have turned opaque and set right through, then stir gently once.

  5. Take the pan off the heat and stir in the butter, if using, until it melts. Ladle into a deep bowl and eat hot.

Watch-points

  • Make the dashi up according to the packet, or use a light stock, so it runs completely clear with nothing floating in it.
  • Leave out any garnish. No spring onion, no nori, nothing scattered over the top.
  • Give the egg its full 30 seconds in the hot broth, until every ribbon is opaque, so it is cooked through rather than half set.

Make it more nourishing

  • Stir the 10 g of butter in at the end rather than leaving it out. It adds about 75 kcal and rounds the broth.
  • Use 150 g of tofu instead of 100 g for a more substantial bowl.
  • Add a second egg, pouring it in with the first, for extra protein.

Swaps

Instead of instant dashi, use a light chicken or vegetable stock
loses the specific dashi flavour but the method stays identical
Instead of the butter, use leave it out, or use a dairy-free spread
keeps the dish fully dairy-free
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