Hey everyone! Welcome back to “Eat Like Your Anime Faves,” a series where I teach you just how to eat like characters do in anime. That’s right; you'll learn how to cook real Japanese food from anime. I’m back again to give you more of what you love!
This time I tried thinking about some things that you can really enjoy in fall as the nights get a bit cooler and the days aren’t so brutal with heat. This week we will be looking at the delicious Mapo Tofu from Angel Beats as well as Oden from a new show, Fushigi na Somera-chan! Let’s not even delay, let’s get right into it!
Mapo Tofu from Angel Beats!
Mapo Tofu (sometimes spelled as mapo tofu) actually hails from China originally. It actually comes from the Sichuan province which is known for its incredibly spicy food. However as stated when it came to the ramen article, Japan has taken this Chinese dish too and transformed it into their own. I will be presenting the standard Japanese version of Mapo Tofu and giving you an alternative if you feel like making the spicy version. It’s a delicious dish that is great year-round. Hinata knows what’s up when he orders some. He and Otonashi both enjoy and talk about the aftertaste. That is to say that it tastes great!! There is just something delicious though about enjoying Mapo Tofu with the last hurrahs of summer. Maybe it’s due to the delicious, full-body of spices, or if you like it spicy, it’s great as a way to get your blood running for sure!
What you will need
tofu (silk or soft tofu) ((Firm is fine too but the soft tofu just has a better texture))
2 blocks
ground beef/pork
200g (1lb)
garlic
1 clove
ginger
1 small nub
a Japanese leek
½
soy sauce
4 tbsp
miso paste
1.5 tsp
Katakuriko
Potato starch flour (Corn starch is fine too) ((This is used to thicken the roux))
Optional Ingredients:
the spicy version!
- 2 tbsp of doubanjiang (Chili bean paste)
- Red Chili Flakes (as you want)
- Sriracha (If you’re brave!)
How to Cook It:
1
Prep work time! Drain your tofu and wrap it in some paper towels and place it on a plate. Place a second plate on top in a sandwich-like setup to help drain excess moisture.2
Once drained, cut up all of the tofu into bite sized pieces and place it in a bowl to the side.3
Next, mince the garlic, ginger and leek. Place into a bowl on the side.4
Begin to heat up your frying pan and put some vegetable oil in it.5
Mix together the soy sauce, sugar and miso. This is where you will add in your spicy ingredients to your liking!6
Fry the minced garlic, ginger, and leek.7
Once it’s aromatic, add in the meat breaking it up into as small pieces as possible.8
When the meat is cooked, add in your sauces mix (Sugar, miso, and soy sauce).9
Mix well and add in the tofu as well as the water. Bring it to a good simmer. Add in the potato starch flour/corn starch to thicken it to your liking.10
~Optional~ If you have it, add in some sesame oil to up the flavor.11
????12
Prof- I mean, eat the delicious food.
(Note: If you are underage, or new to cooking, be sure to let your parent/guardian know what you are doing. We don’t want you to get hurt! )
Yum!
Oden from Fushigi na Somera-chan
As for the Oden, oden is a classically delicious winter food that, just like nabe, warms you right down to your core. Oden is actually a lot like nabe, but at the same time, has its own distinct flavor. Oden has been around forever and it really only takes a few things to make it. You just simmer things in the pot before you dig in and that’s about it. Anywhere you turn your head in Japan, somewhere, especially convenience stores, as selling oden.
If you have ever seen Fushigi na Somera-chan (It just started airing!), in the first episode she spills the oden on the floor. Her sister has a meltdown for a few reasons, but the main one is that Oden is delicious! (It’s such a crime to waste such good oden too…) So be sure to treasure it because it’s delicious! That and you worked so hard to make it. The trick to Oden is to put things that will break apart in last. i.e. carrots, potatoes, etc. You’re simmering all of these things so while they will be cooked through, they will not need to be boiled at a high temperature. Just to let you know, you can use meat in this but eggs tend to be the traditional protein backbone of this dish. (Yay for safe cooking!)
What you will needFor the broth:
it in a pot
Enough Fish stock (dashi) to make approximately 7.5-8 cups
soy sauce
3 tbsp
mirin
2 tbsp
cooking sake/cooking wine
2 tbsp
salt. (You can increase based on your preferences)
1 tbsp
For the items:
Note:these are all optional so you can pick and choose what you live based on your likes and dislikes! Stars (*) indicate that this is usually an essential part of oden so try it out if you don’t know what it tastes like!
- 3-4 inches (7-10cm) of a Daikon Radish (*)
- 4 eggs (*)
- 2 Chikuwa (fish paste sticks) ((Asian Market)) (*)
- 1 Atsuage (thickly cut deep-fried tofu) ((Asian Market)) (*)
- 1 block of Konjac ((Asian Market)) (*)
- 4-6 Small Potatoes peeled and cubed (*)
- Shirataki Noodles (*)
- Carrots
- Thinly Sliced beef
- Burdock Root
- Lotus root
- Gyoza (Japanese Dumplings) They are similar to Jiaozi (Chinese) or pot stickers
- Octopus
- Wieners/Sausages
How to Cook It:
1
Peel the sides of the Daikon first. Slice the Daikon into ½ inch wheels. Cut a crosshatch into the daikon being careful NOT to slice all the way through.2
Take your Konjac and cut a crosshatch into the block. This will draw out the bitterness of the Konjac when you boil it and make it more delicious. Boil it with the Shirataki noodles, but separately from the ingredients in the next step. Once boiled, cool it and then cut it up into bite size pieces.3
Get the eggs, daikon, and potatoes and put them together in a pot and boil them. Yes they will be just fine together.4
While this is boiling, get your atsuage ready in a colander/sieve. You are going to pour out the boiling water from the daikon and eggs on top of it to get rid of any excess oil on the atsuage. NOTE: DO NOT pour the water from the daikon/shirataki noodles onto the atsuage. This will transfer the bitterness of these two to the atsuage and it will not be good.5
One you have dumped the water over the atsuage, cut it up. You can do it beforehand if you prefer.6
If you are using meat or seafood or even the gyoza, have some bamboo skewers ready because you need this for the oden or it will sink and disappear.7
Next, put all of the ingredients for the broth together in the pot. Once they have all been combined, you can start adding everything in. Try to make sure the last thing you add in is the potatoes. If you cook them too long, they will become too soft and break apart when you try to get them.8
Next comes the fun waiting part. Bring the pot up to a boil and once it does, immediately cut the heat back to medium heat. Now simmer for 45 minutes – 1 hour.9
You now have two choices; you can either transfer things to plates and eat them try, or get bowl and put in a bit of the broth. The broth is totally drinkable by the way!10
If you’re not in the mood for the broth now, you can always save it, add a few things, and make a nabe pot recipe! Check it out here (hyperlink)11
Enjoy!
I know it seems like the steps are daunting, but they really aren’t. A lot of them if just telling you to be cautious, so don’t be intimidated by it! You’re essentially making a slow cooker recipe just not over 6-10 hours!
Here we are again you wonderful people. I’m so sorry that this week is over, but I really hope that you enjoyed this week’s “Eat Like Your Faves!” Keeping up with our fall theme has brought us to wonderful and widely loves dishes. Please try them out and let me know how it went in the comments below! If you have any questions/comments/concerns/requests, PLEASE do not hesitate to ask me! I’m more than happy to respond!
Till Next Time
Yum!
![005 [Anime Culture Monday] Anime Recipes: Mapo Dofu (angel beats) & Oden (Fushigi na Somera-chan!)](https://honeysanime.com/wp-content/uploads/img-common/author-profile-image/005.jpg)
Author: Nagareboshi
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