Atsuage Umani (Simmered Fried Tofu with Pork and Napa Cabbage)
厚揚げのうま煮 · Atsuage no Umani
By Aoi, licensed nutritionist · From a Japanese preschool lunch menu
Umani means "savory simmered dish," and this one pairs atsuage - thick, deep-fried tofu with a golden skin and a soft, creamy inside - with pork, napa cabbage and carrot. Everything cooks together in one pan with a little garlic, sugar and soy sauce, then a spoonful of dissolved potato starch turns the cooking liquid into a light glaze that clings to every piece. That silky, mild sauce is what makes children reach for the vegetables too, and the tofu is soft enough for even the youngest eaters to manage.
Wheat-free, but uses soy sauce (made with wheat). Japanese school-lunch allergy menus usually allow it, so check with your doctor. How to read the labels
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Ingredients
Amounts for 1 child (1 serving). An adult counts as 2 servings.
One serving here is 1.5× the portion served to a child in a Japanese preschool, sized for Western appetites. An adult counts as two servings. Tap an ingredient to check it off.
Ingredients
- 57 gatsuage (thick deep-fried tofu)A thick block of tofu deep-fried so the outside is golden while the inside stays soft and creamy. Substitute: Firm tofu, pressed and pan-fried in a little oil until golden.
- 19.5 gthinly sliced pork (komagire)Small, thin offcuts of pork sold in Japan for quick stir-fries and simmered dishes. Substitute: Thinly sliced pork shoulder or loin cut into bite-size pieces.
- 15 gnapa cabbage
- 10.5 gcarrot
Seasonings
- 1.5 gvegetable oil
- 0.3 ggarlic paste (tube)Grated garlic sold ready to use in a squeeze tube, a staple in Japanese kitchens. Japanese school lunch kitchens grate fresh garlic for its aroma, but for cooking at home Aoi says the tube works just fine. Tube pastes often contain added salt, oil and other ingredients, so check the label. Substitute: Use freshly grated garlic in the same amount. 1 teaspoon of paste is about 5 g.
- 30 mlwater
- 1 gsugar
- 3 gsoy sauce
- 1.5 gpotato starch (katakuriko)Japanese potato starch used for thickening sauces and coating fried foods. Substitute: Cornstarch: start with the same amount and add a little more if it is still thin. It thickens a little less than potato starch and needs a couple of minutes at a gentle bubble to reach full thickness.
- 1.5 mlwater (for dissolving the starch)
About the Japanese ingredients in this recipe
- atsuage (thick deep-fried tofu) (厚揚げ)
- A thick block of tofu deep-fried so the outside is golden while the inside stays soft and creamy. Substitute: Firm tofu, pressed and pan-fried in a little oil until golden.
- thinly sliced pork (komagire) (豚こま切れ肉)
- Small, thin offcuts of pork sold in Japan for quick stir-fries and simmered dishes. Substitute: Thinly sliced pork shoulder or loin cut into bite-size pieces.
- garlic paste (tube) (にんにくチューブ)
- Grated garlic sold ready to use in a squeeze tube, a staple in Japanese kitchens. Japanese school lunch kitchens grate fresh garlic for its aroma, but for cooking at home Aoi says the tube works just fine. Tube pastes often contain added salt, oil and other ingredients, so check the label. Substitute: Use freshly grated garlic in the same amount. 1 teaspoon of paste is about 5 g.
- potato starch (katakuriko) (かたくり粉)
- Japanese potato starch used for thickening sauces and coating fried foods. Substitute: Cornstarch: start with the same amount and add a little more if it is still thin. It thickens a little less than potato starch and needs a couple of minutes at a gentle bubble to reach full thickness. Read the guide: Katakuriko (Japanese Potato Starch) and What to Use Instead → Guide: japanese-school-lunch.com/articles/katakuriko-potato-starch/
Directions
- 1
Pour boiling water over the atsuage to remove excess oil, then cut it into 1.5 cm cubes. Cut the pork into 1 to 2 cm wide strips. Roughly chop the napa cabbage into 3 to 4 cm pieces and cut the carrot into thin rectangles.
- 2
Heat the vegetable oil and garlic paste in a frying pan and stir-fry the carrot. Once it is coated in oil, add the napa cabbage and pork and stir-fry together.
- 3
Add the atsuage, water and sugar and simmer until the vegetables are soft.
- 4
Add the soy sauce and simmer briefly. Finish with a little liquid still left in the pan, then stir in the dissolved potato starch to thicken the sauce.
Nutrition
| Per | 1 serving | 1 adult serving | Your total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Energy | 144 kcal | 288 kcal | 144 kcal |
| Protein | 10.6 g | 21.3 g | 10.6 g |
| Fat | 9.9 g | 19.8 g | 9.9 g |
| Carbohydrates | 4.7 g | 9.3 g | 4.7 g |
| Fiber | 0.9 g | 1.8 g | 0.9 g |
| Salt equivalent | 0.5 g | 0.9 g | 0.5 g |
| Calcium | 148.5 mg | 297 mg | 148.5 mg |
| Iron | 1.7 mg | 3.3 mg | 1.7 mg |
| Potassium | 216 mg | 432 mg | 216 mg |
| Energy | Protein | Fat | Carbs | Fiber | Salt equiv. | Calcium | Iron | Potassium | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 serving | 144 kcal | 10.6 g | 9.9 g | 4.7 g | 0.9 g | 0.5 g | 148.5 mg | 1.7 mg | 216 mg |
| 1 adult serving | 288 kcal | 21.3 g | 19.8 g | 9.3 g | 1.8 g | 0.9 g | 297 mg | 3.3 mg | 432 mg |
Values are per serving (1.5× the Japanese preschool portion); an adult serving is double. They were calculated by a licensed Japanese nutritionist using the Standard Tables of Food Composition in Japan. "Salt equivalent" is sodium × 2.54, the standard Japanese measure. Allergen flags cover egg, milk and wheat only and come from the nutritionist's records. Soy sauce and miso are made with wheat but are usually allowed on Japanese wheat-free school menus, so check with your doctor.
