Steamed ginger tofu with mushrooms and rice

Ingredients

• Firm tofu (raw)350g
• Mushrooms (raw)200g
• Ginger (raw)15g
• Simple soy sauce (canned)25ml
• Olive oil (raw)10ml
• Rice (dry)160g
• Recipe water (raw)300ml

Method

1. Drain 350g firm tofu and slice 1.5cm thick; place in a shallow heatproof dish. Slice 200g mushrooms 3mm thick and 15g ginger into fine matchsticks. Arrange over the tofu and drizzle with 25ml simple soy sauce and 10ml olive oil.
2. Set the dish on a steamer rack above simmering processing water. Cover the pot and steam over medium heat for 12–15 minutes until mushrooms are tender and tofu is hot throughout. Keep water below the dish; if the pan dries, add boiling processing water at the side. Use tongs and protect hands from escaping steam.
3. With two burners, cook rice alongside the tofu steamer. Rinse 160g rice and cook in a covered saucepan with 300ml recipe water, checking the packet ratio first. Bring to a boil, reduce to low and cook for 12–18 minutes until tender, then rest off the heat for 5 minutes. On one burner cook rice first and keep covered only for this short cooking sequence.
4. Fluff the rice into bowls. Lift the tofu gently with a broad spoon and add the mushrooms and hot dish juices. If scaling, steam in several shallow dishes so the mushroom layer stays thin.
5. The displayed quantities already match your selected servings. For 1 or 2 servings, use a smaller pan and check early; keep the stated cut sizes. For 4 servings use a broad pan or uncrowded trays; for 8 split every ingredient evenly into two 4-serving batches (more if the pan or pot capacity requires it). Keep pans below 80% full and vegetables in one layer when browning. Repeat the cooking and doneness checks for each batch; elapsed time increases for sequential batches. Serve promptly. Cool any extra cooked food in shallow containers and refrigerate within two hours, or one hour above 32°C. Keep the fridge at 4°C or below. Reheat cooked leftovers evenly to 74°C, checking several places with a food thermometer. Keep raw garnishes and cold yogurt or tahini sauces separate and use them cold within their label limits. For this planner, refrigerate cooked rice for at most 24 hours or freeze promptly on the preparation day after rapid cooling in shallow containers. This 24-hour rice limit is a conservative product choice, not a USDA-specific rice rule. Reheat the cooked portion evenly to 74°C with a thermometer.