Tofu with Crab Sauce

Crab with tofu sauce (豆腐のカニあんかけ - tofu no kani ankake) may not sound all that exciting, and the photo doesn't do much to help with its appeal. But don't let its bland looks deceive you! The combination of silken tofu with the rich, velvety crab sauce is worthy of a lusty moan of pleasure. 

If I had to compare it to another dish, the closest thing I can think of is Chawanmushi. Unlike chawanmushi, however, this tofu with crab sauce comes together in a matter of minutes, and yet you get the same satiny smooth texture and over-the-top umami that makes the Japanese egg custard so good. 

As for the ingredients, the key is to use good homemade dashi stock and a hint of ginger juice (squeezed from grated ginger), which smooths over any fishy notes from the crab. I also like using Usukuchi soy sauce for this. It's a variety of Japanese soy sauce from the Kansai region with a much lighter color and flavor due to a relatively short fermentation time. If you can't find it, regular soy sauce will work, but it won't be quite as refined. If you're lucky enough to have whole crab legs, I have a method for shelling them here. Since cooked crab can vary widely in salinity, I recommend tasting the sauce before serving it and adjusting with salt as needed.