Tofu No Nimono Braised Tofu

This warming, comforting dish came about one day as I had both leftover sukiyaki sauce and some very fresh tofu and it must be one of the tastiest ways to enjoy tofu – I not-so-secretly love picking out the tofu from the sukiyaki pot. I only had spring onions to add to it (also a favourite element to fish out of the sukiyaki) and I kept thinking you could flesh this out into a bigger dish – by adding a soft-boiled egg, perhaps, or some mushrooms, spinach or bok choy (pak choy). As I ate it, I thought it reminded me of another wonderfully homely dish called nikudofu, where thin strips of beef are braised with the tofu in a similar sauce. But since making it again and again, I really prefer this way whenever I have a craving for sukiyaki but just want to keep things very simple.

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Instructions

1.	Bring the sauce ingredients to a simmer in a small-medium saucepan.
2.	Gently add the tofu and onion (make sure all the tofu is submerged under the precious liquid; if not, top up with some water until it is) and continue simmering, covered with a lid (or a drop lid, fashioned out of a round of baking paper) for 7–10 minutes, or until the onion is sweet and soft.
3.	Add the spring onions and cook for a further 3 minutes, or until it has given way and is wilted and tender (if using leek, it will need cooking for longer).
4.	Serve with freshly steamed rice and two or three other vegetable side dishes for a filling, satisfying vegetarian meal.