Sweet Potato-Tofu Stew
Published Feb. 23, 2024
- Total Time
- 1 hour
- Prep Time
- 10 minutes
- Cook Time
- 45 to 55 minutes
- Rating
- Notes
- Read community notes
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Ingredients
Yield:4 to 6 servings
- 3tablespoons toasted sesame oil, plus more to taste
- 7 to 8ounces shiitake mushrooms, stems discarded, caps sliced ¼-inch-thick
- 1medium onion, halved and thinly sliced
- 1tablespoon grated fresh ginger
- 3pounds sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 2-inch chunks (about 8 cups)
- 2cups dashi (instant or homemade), or use vegetable or chicken broth
- 1piece dried kombu, about 5-inches square (optional)
- 6tablespoons soy sauce, plus more to taste
- 3tablespoons mirin
- 3tablespoons sake
- 2tablespoons raw or turbinado sugar
- 1pound firm tofu, cut into 1-inch cubes
- Salt, as needed
- 1tablespoon cornstarch
- 2 to 3cups baby greens, such as kale, spinach or mustard
- 1teaspoon rice wine vinegar, plus more to taste
- 4scallions, thinly sliced
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (6 servings)
470 calories; 15 grams fat; 2 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 5 grams monounsaturated fat; 7 grams polyunsaturated fat; 63 grams carbohydrates; 11 grams dietary fiber; 17 grams sugars; 22 grams protein; 1166 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
Powered byPreparation
- Step 1
In a medium pot, heat 2 tablespoons sesame oil over medium-high. Add mushrooms, onion and ginger, and cook, stirring, until golden and tender, 7 to 10 minutes.
- Step 2
Add sweet potatoes, dashi, kombu (if using), 5 tablespoons soy sauce, the mirin, sake and sugar. Bring to a lively simmer. Place a piece of parchment paper or another cover directly on top of the liquid (see Tip) and simmer gently until the sweet potatoes are very tender, 30 to 35 minutes.
- Step 3
While the stew simmers, line a plate or baking sheet with a clean kitchen towel or paper towels, and place tofu cubes on top. Place another layer of paper towels or wrap up the kitchen towel around the tofu and weigh down with a skillet or plate topped by cans. Let sit for at least 15 minutes. Unwrap and place half of the tofu cubes in a small bowl; drizzle with remaining 1 tablespoon soy sauce and a pinch of salt, and set aside to marinate.
- Step 4
In another bowl, toss remaining tofu with cornstarch. Heat a nonstick or well-seasoned cast-iron skillet over medium-high and add the remaining 1 tablespoon sesame oil. Once the oil is hot, add the tofu cubes and fry until crisp, 5 to 7 minutes, turning them on all sides. Transfer cubes to a paper towel-lined plate and season lightly with salt. (Or you can crisp the tofu in the oven or an air fryer; see Tip.)
- Step 5
When the sweet potatoes are tender, uncover the stew. If the sauce seems thin, simmer uncovered for a few more minutes to reduce it.
- Step 6
Stir the greens into the stew to wilt, then stir in the soy sauce-marinated tofu, any extra soy sauce from the bowl, and the rice wine vinegar. The potatoes may start to fall apart from all the stirring, and that is OK: They’ll thicken the sauce. Taste, adding more salt, soy sauce, sesame oil and rice wine vinegar until it’s bright and savory.
- Step 7
Ladle stew into bowls and top with scallions and crispy tofu. Drizzle with more soy sauce if you like, for serving.
Tips
- You’ll need to lay something directly on the top of the stew to allow for some evaporation while keeping the vegetables submerged. You can use parchment paper. Either cut a round just large enough to fit inside your pot, or press a larger piece into the pot touching the surface, and letting the edges stand up. Or, if you can, use a silicone steamer lid or a collapsible steamer basket small enough to fit inside the pot. It’s fine if the lid is smaller than the pot by an inch or so, as long as most of the vegetables stay submerged so they cook evenly.
- You can crisp tofu cubes in the air fryer or roast them on an oiled baking sheet in a 425-degree oven. (Drizzle the top of the cubes with a little oil as well; bake for 20 to 25 minutes.)
Private Notes
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Cooking Notes
Em L
Love the new (to me) addition of Prep Time in the recipe metadata! Gentle suggestion to under-promise and over-deliver on those estimates. I might just be a slow line cook, but to me, 10 minutes is an awfully tight timeframe to: * de-stem and slice 8oz of shiitakes * halve and thinly slice an onion * grate 1T of ginger * peel and dice 8c of sweet potatoes * cube 1lb of tofu * thinly slice 4 scallions Again, love to see those prep times bubbled up now for readers! Hope they keep dialing that in
Lucille
I wish Melissa would give us her opinion regarding whether recipes freeze well, or can stay a few days in the fridge or neither. Most of her recipes are for four people and we are usually two for dinner.
Joanne
Hi Theresa, (1) if you put in "tempeh" with an H, you'll get a few more recipes. Silly, I know, but the computer is stupid. (2) I'd say just try subsituting tempeh for tofu in the recipes and see what happens! I would guess the results would be a bit more flavorful since tempeh has more flavor than plain tofu.
Whitney M.
What a great recipe! I had everything except the mirin so it was the perfect choice for dinner. The two different tofu techniques was a nice touch although I would be completely happy with just sautéing if time was an issue. I will definitely make this again.
Howard
Fry all of the tofu, rather than 1/2. more flavorful.
Anita
A delicious dish! I skipped the dashi, kombu, mirin ingredients. I fried all my tofu, no cornstarch. I used cremini mushrooms, added garlic, sliced ginger. It was easier to cook in a wok. I fried with grapeseed oil. For me, sesame is only a "finishing" oil. Tasty, served with jasmine rice. Thanks Melissa. Plant based cooking for the win.
Gidian
I would guess the weight is before discarding the stems. But I would also guess that the exact weight of the mushrooms doesn’t even matter that much.
LMW
This stew is easy and tasty. It was a little too sweet for me and I wished I listened to my instincts and used less sugar. The mirin and sweet potatoes are sweet enough. AlsoI thought the ratio of sweet potatoes to tofu was off, I’d prefer closer to 1:1.
Sasha
Horrible texture and very little flavor
draz
Delish but use half the sugar. The potatoes more than add the sweetness needed.
Jeanne
Very good. Fried tofu was excellent
Denys
A bit too sweet - the mirim is already sweet enough. Next time I will leave the sugar aside.
Lucky
Adopt ingredients minus sweet potatoes for hot and sour soup and use the toasted tofu idea as well.
Molly
In an attempt to spare anyone else my error: If you don't have turbinado or raw sugar, do NOT use the same amount of plain old white sugar. I'm not sure exactly what the replacement ratio is, but I'd guess you want to use about half. I tossed the tofu in soy and a little bit more sesame oil, then baked it and added at the end. Some chili crisp cut the sweetness nicely.
jmack
Too sweet! Cut the sugar!
Joan
Oops! I was wrong - does call for toasted…
Joan
Hi Anita, toasted sesame oil is a finishing oil. Plain sesame oil is called for here, I believe.
Maria Brooks
I'm a big fan of Melissa and love sweet potatoes - so could not go wrong! I used Japanese Murasaki sweet potatoes. This recipe gives sweet potatoes a wonderful new flavor.
xtiam
Delicious. But the liquid amounts—dashi broth—is too little and the cook time for the sweet potatoes is too long. You end up with a liquidless mush. I would add greens and other 1/2 tofu at the 15 min mark and watch the sweet pot cubes closely, turning off once done but still a little firm. A real stew insues, rather than a mush (however tasty) flecked with tofu.
JKY220
The potatoes needs a lot longer to get soft. I may have had too many in pot (used what I had)
Guy Walker
His Majesty Jack Bishop has one similar with chick peas and cilantro and onion and cumin that doesn't have corn starch and sugar or vinegar, but prunes which make an irresistible gravy.
Kona SF
It was good but will make some changes next time. Too sweet, like sukiyaki, so will eliminate sugar next time. Didn’t have sake so substituted dry white wine and it was fine. Used a tofu press on the whole block of tofu, then cubed, instead of method suggested in recipe - faster and easier. Used the parchment but to really submerge the potatoes I placed a plate on top of the parchment as a weight. Agree with other posts, make it your own.
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