INGREDIENTS:

Spinach   1/3 C (50g)

Chrysanthemum Leaves   1/3 C (50g)

Crab   2/3 C (80g)

Cilantro Flower, or herbs of your choice to garnish

a) Dashi   ¾ C + 1 T (200ml)

a) Light Soy Sauce   5 tbsp

a) Mirin   5 tbsp

b) Roasted Sesame   ½ tbsp

b) Sugar   ½ tbsp

b) Light Soy Sauce   1 tsp

b) White Miso   1 tsp

b) Tofu (Regular – Firm)   ~1/2 C (100g)

b) Fresh Uni   3 ½ T (50g)

c) Dashi   ~1/3 C + 1 tsp. (90ml)

c) Light Soy Sauce   2 tbsp

c) Mirin   2 tbsp

c) Rice Vinegar   2 tbsp

c) Agar-Agar Powder   ~3/4 tsp (3g)

STEP:

1) Savory broth for vegetables: For part a). First, boil mirin in a small pot to let alcohol evaporate (around 30 seconds), then add dashi and light soy sauce. Let it cool down.

2) Prepare spinach and chrysanthemum for Shira-ae tofu salad: Wash spinach and pat dry. Blanch in hot water for about 30 seconds then put in ice water. Wash chrysanthemum and pat dry. Pick leaves off thick stems. Blanch in hot water for 15 seconds then put in ice water. Once cooled, squeeze out the water from spinach and chrysanthemum. Marinate them in the broth from step 1) for 30minutes to 1 hour.

3) Make a savory jelly for crab using ingredients from c). Boil mirin in a pot to let alcohol evaporate, then add dashi and light soy sauce. When the liquid is boiling again, slowly add agar agar powder while stirring the liquid so that there are no lumps. Once all the powder is dissolved, turn off the heat and add vinegar. Transfer to a container and let cool in fridge till solid.

4) Wrap the tofu with some paper towel, place a weight* on top of it and leave for about 15-20 minutes, to drain water. Make tofu dressing with ingredients from b), by mixing one ingredient at a time using a Japanese mortar and pestle, in the listed order from the top to the bottom. Alternatively, you can use a food processor to mix all the ingredients to make more creamy dressing.
* A teacup sitting inside the rinsed tofu container makes for a nice flat weight.

5) Crush the jelly from step 3). Take the half and mix with the crab.

6) Remove the vegetables from step 2) from the marinade, lightly squeeze so that it’s not watery. Dress it with the tofu dressing from step 4).

7) On a plate, lay the salad from step 6). Top with the crab jelly mix from step 5). You can add a piece of fresh uni for presentation and more flavor. Finish with cilantro or herbs of your choice.