I’ve been reading this remarkable book first published in 1975, The Book of Tofu by Shurtleff and Aoyagi. At least one of the writers was heavily influenced by the American Buddhist movement and spent time at the Tassajara Zen Mountain Center near Big Sur, California. There he/they became enchanted with all things Japanese, especially the food. Eventually, the writers find themselves travelling throughout Japan, learning about traditional food preparation and becoming more and more engrossed in soy.

crumbly tekka miso over brown rice with fried tempeh

Aside from The Book of Tofu, apparently they published books of Miso and of Tempeh. These folks really believed in the power of tofu to change the world. In fact, they’re positively convinced that tofu will solve Third World hunger and in the developed U.S., will reduce obesity and early mortality while making the planet greener (because we’ll produce fewer cattle). Shurtleff and Aoyagi were visionaries, but I have to agree with Samuel Fromartz in Organic, Inc. People just aren’t willing to embrace tofu wholesale if it isn’t part of their culture. It’s too bad, really, as some of these soy recipes look very exciting.

I was inspired, at least, by The Book of Tofu and tried to re-create the recipe for crumbly tekka miso. It looked easy to make and has interesting ingredients. It’s a kind of brown sauce primarily made of miso with some vegetables and nuts. I’m not sure that I made it correctly and I did improvise by combining it with the sweetened tekka miso recipe that follows the crumbly. I didn’t have some things, like sesame oil, so I used alternatives.

Mine didn’t get crumbly, but I added water because I thought the miso needed to be thinned. And I’m thrilled to report that I finally used fresh lotus root! I’ve always wanted to try but have been shy about it.

The dish looked various shades of brown which seemed groovily authentic for this Seventies inspired meal. I fried the tempeh because The Book of Tofu says that that’s the best way. And they were right: it was absolutely delicious. The brown rice seemed to match.

In retrospect, I think that I overdosed the miso. It was too salty. Next time, I’d put in only one or two tablespoons. Otherwise, the sauce was nutty and earthy with a creamy texture broken up with the subtle crunch of the burdock root. Really, pretty good.

some key ingredients: burdock root, lotus root, carrots, ginger, miso and peanuts

crumbly tekka miso

3 tbsp. olive oil
1 burdock root, peeled, cut into two inch sticks, then soaked in water for fifteen minutes
3 small carrots, peeled and minced in food processor
1 lotus root bulb, peeled and minced in food processor
1 tbsp. grated fresh ginger
1/3 cup red miso diluted with some water
¼ cup peanuts
1 tbsp. dry white wine
2 tbsp. tahini

Heat large skillet. Add oil and burdock. Sauté for one minute then add minced carrot and lotus root. Sauté for a few more minutes. Add miso, ginger, peanuts and white wine. Simmer, stirring often, for fifteen to twenty minutes or until consistency that you prefer is reached. Mix in tahini. Let cool.

Serve over rice or as a dip for fried tempeh or raw vegetables.