Braised Trio –Shitake mushrooms, chicken, and tofu

The soy-sauce braised trio consisting of shitake mushrooms, chicken, and tofu is so warm and delicious when served over a bowl of white rice. This dish is a favorite for my boyfriend and I, because we are both a fan of Asian shitake mushrooms. The dish is definitely not the same without the mushrooms.

Braised Trio –Shitake mushrooms, chicken, and tofu

Ingredients

1 cup of shitake mushrooms, pre-soaked in water, sliced in half.

1.5 pounds of chicken legs

3 cups water

½ cup of soy sauce

1 tbsp sugar

1 chunk of fresh ginger

2 cloves of garlic

1 packaged cube of firm tofu, sliced into cubes.

extra water for boiling the chicken

Instructions:

1. The night before, soak the dried shitake mushrooms in water, so they soften.

2. The day after, drain the mushrooms, slice in half.

3. Boil the chicken legs in water for about 5 minutes, until foam emerges from the chicken.

4. Toss the foamy water and wash the chicken legs under running water.

5. Place chicken in a pot, add the 3 cups of water and ½ cup of soy sauce.

6. Bring the pot to a boil, and then add the sugar, ginger, mushrooms, and garlic.

7. Cut tofu into cubes. You can either add the cubes directly into the stew or fry up the tofu cubes until golden on all sides (yum!) then add into the stew.

8. When boiling, lower the heat to a simmer. Simmer for 25 minutes, turning the occasionally.

9. When finished, the chicken leg tendon should pull away from the joint bone, and meat should fall off the bone.

Serve the chicken, mushroom, and tofu in a bowl of steamed white rice. Ladle some sauce into the rice.