Grilled Tofu-puff with Egg Yolk Miso 柚子胡椒入り玉味噌の焼き油揚げ

I made many variations of the Izakaya dish of grilled and stuffed deep fried tofu pouches or “abura-age 油揚げ” previously but I have not made it for some time.  This time, two extra egg yolks were available from my wife’s  baking projects and I remembered a Youtube episode of a grilled abura-age dish stuffed with egg yolks mixed with miso (which is called “Tama Miso 玉味噌” ) and seasoned with yuzu kosho* 柚子胡椒.

*It is a mixture of salt, chopped peel of a Japanese citrus called "yuzu" 柚子 and chili pepper (usually green chili pepper but it could also be red chili pepper). It is available through Japanese grocery stores or from Amazon.>

“Tama-Miso” is fairly common condiment/sauce in Japan with various variations. It can be used as a grilling sauce called “denegaku 田楽” on tofu and eggplant, dipping sauce (for cucumber sticks). I did not follow any particular recipe to make the “Tama Miso”.

I could have grilled the final product in the toaster oven but I cooked it in a frying pan (which is easier). Just grilled abura-age can be a good drinking snack (with grated daikon and soy sauce) but the addition of  various stuffings make it even more interesting and better. I had made and posted different variations of abura-age dishes including ones stuffed with cheese, nori with suriracha, gyoza stuffing and even nattou.

This rendition is a bit different from anything I posted before because of the use of “Tama Miso” and “Yuzu kosho”.  The rich favors of the tama miso and mild spiciness and citrus flavors, worked very well encased in crunchy grilled abura-age skin. I served this with steamed brocollini dressed in mustard soy sauce. This was a perfect small dish for the “home” Izakaya.

For “Tama Miso” with Yuzu Kosho:
Ingredients: (makes about 1/3 cup)
2 egg yolks
2 tsp sugar
1 tsp. or more of yuzu kosho (to taste)
3 tbs white miso (I used Saikyo miso which is a sweet white miso) or a combination of red and white miso
1 tbs mirin
2-3 tbs sake

Directions:
In a small sauce pan, add all the ingredients except for the sake and mix well until smooth. Add the sake and mix so that the consistency is loose like pancake batter. Place the pan on a low flame and stir constantly until the egg yolks are cooked and reduced to the consistency of the original miso before you added the sake. Let it cool. It will further thicken (#3 in the composite picture). It will keep at least a week in the refrigerator.

Assembly and cooking of the stuffed abura-age:
Thaw the abura-age if frozen (#1). Using a sharp paring knife, cut along three sides and open like a book (#2). Using a spatula, smear the tama miso (#3) on one side of the open abura-age (#4). Close and make sure both sides are adhering well. Place it in a dry frying pan on medium low flame and cook until lightly brown (a few minutes) turn it over and cook the other side a few more minutes. Cut into 4 pieces and serve warm.

This is a very satisfying snack. It has a nice crunch and toasty flavor from the cooked abura-age. The inside provides a mellow richness with a little spiciness from the yuzu kosho. Although it is a very light mouthful, it is full of a complex range of flavors. Great with either red wine or sake.