I have been wanting to do a dish like this after I ate this amazing snow crab hot pot in Osaka, at the iconic Kani Doraku restaurant(it’s known for having a giant crab statue hanging from the front of the building, and as the decor suggests, having an all-crab menu!). The vegetables and tofu, stewing in the crab stock, just had this succulent sweetness to them that I found to be addictive – the tofu specifically had this firm yet creamy texture, but it took on the pleasant briny aroma of the crab that it was cooked with. I specifically wanted to take that memory, and translate it into a dish I could call my own. This recipe is my poor man’s done bougie homage to that hot pot – poor man because no actual crab is being served in this, making the actual cost of the dish a lot lower, but done bougie because it will look super prix fixe menu-esque with all of the fancy preparations that are going into the components themselves. Initially I was going to look for whole crabs, and actually serve the crab meat in this recipe, while making a stock out of the shells. I was honestly dreading that, just because the idea of trying to transfer a, preferably live for optimal freshness and flavor, crab sounded like it could be a mess. Luckily(and thank god because it was a lot less time-consuming and expensive), my local Korean market sold these sachets of crab stock, so I went with that instead, which allowed me to not only save a lot of money and time on procuring and prepping a crab, but also focus more on just the stock, the tofu, and a garnish for both of those things.

Since the main idea for this recipe was tofu sitting in a rich, sweet crab broth, so getting ahold of those crab stock sachets worked out perfectly. Since I knew that I would have an abundance of crab broth as well, since each back of these stock sachets came with several, I also wanted to use that broth to make a gorgeous tuile to garnish the edges of my bowl with. Initially I wanted to go with a wide rim bowl, but the tuile mold I purchased ended up being too small for it. Luckily, my friend Ann gifted me with this gorgeous, and more appropriately sized, rounded bowl, which the tuile can sit on beautifully from Match Stoneware, which is a pottery shop that is renowned in L.A. for making plateware for Michelin-starred restaurants. With the tofu itself, I used a firm silken tofu, and cut it up a bunch, in a similar preparation to the douhua tofu flower I did about a year ago. I figured by slicing up the tofu like that, it will give it way more surface area to soak up more of that crab broth with. That and well, let’s be honest here, it looks pretty cool. The tuiles themselves were a bit challenging, just because of how fragile they were. I recommend being very dainty, delicate, and careful with these. I made 4, and broke 3 in the process. I garnished the top of this dish with nasturtiums, which add a pleasant pepperiness, and a gorgeous color to contrast the other components of the dish with. And before someone tries to nag me for this, a dish/recipe like this is meant to be served in a tasting menu, with several other dishes of similar portion sizes to them. I get that this recipe is being presented in a small amount of food, but the idea of it is for it to be eaten in a progression with other things too. Don’t try making this just for dinner, and then complain about how hungry you still are. Although granted, if you ate all of the prepared components for just yourself, that actually is a decent amount of food – speaking from personal experience of having done that myself.

Makes 2-4 portions:
For the crab dashi:
1 crab stock tea bag
1 tbsp mirin
1 tsp sake
1g dried kombu, toasted
a pinch of salt
1 1/2 cups water
1 tbsp yuzu or lemon juice

In a pot, heat up everything, except the yuzu/lemon juice, on low heat until the kombu is completely softened. Allow everything to steep in the liquid for 10 minutes before straining out any solids. After straining out the solids, finish with the yuzu/lemon juice. Keep warm for plating.

For the tuile:
1 tbsp crab dashi
1/2 tsp egg white powder
1 tsp canola oil
2 tbsps all-purpose flour
a pinch of salt

Mix everything together to form your tuile batter. Spread the batter into your tuile molds and bake at 325 degrees F for 15 minutes. Allow the tuiles to cool slightly before gently removing from the molds. Store in an airtight container before using.

For garnish:
Silken tofu
Nasturtium leaves and petals

With the tofu, cut it to about 1/2-inch thickness. Using a knife, finely cut the tofu, although only slicing down about halfway. Then rotate the tofu, and repeat this step. Using a 2-inch ring mold, cut down into the tofu block. Carefully drop the tofu into the bowl, and then pour in your broth. Garnish the top with the tuile and your nasturtium leaves and petals to finish.