Frozen Tofu Braised in Soy Sauce

Ingredients

• 1 block regular "cotton" tofu
• 2 cups stock: meat, dashi, or vegetable
• 1/4 cup dark soy sauce
• 1/4 cup sake or rice wine
• 1/4 cup mirin or 2 tablespoons sugar
• Thinly sliced green onions, to garnish

Directions

1. The night before cooking, wrap the tofu block in cheesecloth and put it in the freezer for at least 6 hours, or as long as 2 weeks. Once frozen, it will look yellow and a little leathery.
2. When you are ready to begin, hold the tofu under hot running water so you can peel away the cheesecloth, which will be stuck to the outside. Bring a large pot of water to a boil, add the tofu, and cook it for 15 minutes, until the block has softened all the way through.
3. Slice the tofu into 1-inch squares, then transfer it to a saucepan with the remaining simmering ingredients, the stock, soy sauce, sake, and mirin. Set the pan over medium-low heat and cook for at least 25 minutes, until the tofu has taken in nearly all the liquid and only 1 tablespoon remains.
4. Variation: If you are making a soy sauce braise with cubes of meat, add the tofu cubes to the pot during the final half hour of cooking.