Aburaage Rice Bowl with Baek’s All-Purpose Sauce
[One-Bowl Meal] Simple Aburaage Rice Bowl Using Baek’s All-Purpose Sauce
Enjoy a delicious and satisfying meal using Baek’s homemade all-purpose sauce! Even without the special sauce, you can easily make this simple rice bowl with regular soy sauce. It’s a quick and easy dish perfect for any meal.
Rice Bowl Ingredients- 1 bowl of cooked rice
- 5-6 sheets of aburaage (fried tofu pouches)
- 1-2 handfuls of cooked and prepared sweet potato stems
- 1 red chili pepper (seeds removed, finely chopped)
- 4-5 cloves of garlic (minced)
- A small amount of green onion (chopped)
Rice Bowl Seasoning- 3-4 Tbsp soy sauce (adjust to taste)
- 2-3 Tbsp water
- Pinch of salt
- Pinch of black pepper
- A little corn syrup or sugar (for sweetness)
- A little sesame oil
Baek’s All-Purpose Sauce (Make ahead for convenience!)- 3 cups ground pork
- 6 cups soy sauce
- 1 cup sugar
- 3-4 Tbsp soy sauce (adjust to taste)
- 2-3 Tbsp water
- Pinch of salt
- Pinch of black pepper
- A little corn syrup or sugar (for sweetness)
- A little sesame oil
Baek’s All-Purpose Sauce (Make ahead for convenience!)- 3 cups ground pork
- 6 cups soy sauce
- 1 cup sugar
Cooking Instructions
Step 1
First, let’s make Baek’s all-purpose sauce. In a pot, combine ground pork (3 cups), soy sauce (6 cups), and sugar (1 cup). (Adjust the amount of sugar to your preference. Add more for a sweeter taste, less if you prefer it less sweet.)
Step 2
Bring the mixture to a boil over medium heat, then reduce to low heat and simmer for about 15 minutes. Skim off any foam that rises to the surface during cooking for a cleaner-tasting sauce.
Step 3
Once the all-purpose sauce is made, let it cool completely. Then, store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Having this sauce prepared will make cooking many dishes much easier.
Step 4
Now, let’s prepare the ingredients for the rice bowl. Have your cooked sweet potato stems, aburaage, chopped red chili pepper, minced garlic, chopped green onion, and the prepared all-purpose sauce ready.
Step 5
Heat some cooking oil in a pan over medium heat. Add the minced garlic and sauté slowly over low heat until golden brown and fragrant. Be careful not to burn the garlic; the goal is to infuse the oil with garlic flavor.
Step 6
Once the garlic is nicely browned, remove it from the pan and set aside on a separate plate. This fragrant fried garlic will be used as a topping for the rice bowl later.
Step 7
Briefly blanch the aburaage in boiling water. You can do this by immersing it for about 30 seconds to 1 minute, or by pouring boiling water from an electric kettle over it. This step helps remove excess oil and any potential unwanted flavors from the aburaage, resulting in a cleaner taste.
Step 8
After blanching, rinse the aburaage under cold water to cool it down. Squeeze out as much water as possible with your hands, then cut it into bite-sized pieces (about 2-3 cm long).
Step 9
Using the same pan where you fried the garlic, add the cooked sweet potato stems, cut into bite-sized pieces (about 2-3 cm). Sauté them and season lightly with salt and pepper to taste.
Step 10
While the sweet potato stems are cooking, squeeze out any remaining water from the blanched aburaage again by hand and cut it into your desired size (e.g., 2-3 cm lengths).
Step 11
Set the sautéed sweet potato stems aside for a moment. In the same pan, add the chopped green onions and stir-fry over low heat until fragrant, creating a ‘green onion oil’.
Step 12
Once the green onion is fragrant, add the cut aburaage to the pan and stir-fry together for about 3 minutes. The aburaage will absorb the flavors of the green onion and oil.
Step 13
Now it’s time to season the sautéed aburaage and sweet potato stems. Pour in the prepared all-purpose sauce, water, a little corn syrup or sugar for sweetness, and a little sesame oil for a nutty aroma.
Step 14
Quickly mix everything together in the pan. Add the chopped red chili peppers and stir-fry for a short while longer. The aburaage stir-fry is now complete! Adding chili peppers will give it a spicy kick.
Step 15
Finally, place a bowl of warm cooked rice in a serving dish. Top generously with the stir-fried aburaage and sweet potato stems. Finish by arranging the crispy fried garlic on top as a garnish. Enjoy your delicious Aburaage Rice Bowl!
