Nanzenji-style steamed Spanish mackerel with tofu, wood ear mushroom, carrot, lily bulb, ginkgo nut, and wasabi

The name Nanzenji-mushi comes from the fact that Nanzen-ji, a temple in Kyoto's Sakyo Ward, was famous for its tofu, and dishes made with tofu came to be called 'Nanzenji-~.' This time I used sawara (Spanish mackerel), which is delicious in the cold season, as the filling, but I think it would also be delicious arranged with tilefish (amadai) or chicken grilled until the skin is fragrant. I kept the sauce orthodox, but depending on the season you could work in cherry blossom petals, or add grated turnip styled like sleet (mizore), among other ideas. The key point for Nanzenji-yose, the set version, is to shape it in a cloth bundle. You could also pour it into a rectangular setting mold, but I wrung it into a cloth bundle to make it look charming. If not shrimp, seasonal shellfish such as scallop or clam also work well as the filling. Really, any filling that would suit shinjo, a fish-paste dumpling mixture, should be delicious here.

Using silken tofu as-is leaves too much moisture, so we let it sit for about a full day and night to drain off the excess water. What matters most in Nanzenji-mushi is the initial heat level: first set the surface firm over high heat, then switch to medium heat, with about 20 minutes as a guide — the same approach as chawanmushi. Because tofu is mixed in, the custard is less prone to honeycombing.

1. Fillet the sawara into three pieces, cut it into suitable-sized pieces, salt it, and steam it in advance.

2. Rehydrate the wood ear mushroom and chop it, and cut the carrot into fine julienne; simmer both in advance in happō dashi to season them. Steam the lily bulb, blanch the ginkgo nuts in hot water, and cut them to size.

3. Grind the drained tofu in a suribachi mortar. Once it becomes smooth, gradually pour in the beaten egg while continuing to grind and mix.

4. Once everything is combined, pass it through a fine sieve once, then adjust the seasoning for any dilution caused by combining it with the tofu.

5. Place the filling ingredients into the vessel, pour in the egg-and-dashi custard base, and steam at 85°C for about 15 minutes.

6. Put the ingredients for the sauce into a pot and bring to a boil, dissolve kuzu starch in it to make the sauce, pour it gently over the steamed dish, and serve with wasabi.