Japanify: Hiyayakko with Myoga

My sister has a giant myoga plant that is thriving in a shady spot by her chicken coup coop. Powerful myoga buds started busting through the styrofoam container walls a few weeks ago. The plant was inherited from someone who could not contain their myoga and had to give away large patches to get their myoga infested garden under control.

What a dream to have too much myoga on your hands! I have always loved the zing of myoga. Reminiscent of ginger but refreshing in its own way, myoga can be eaten when the buds are a pinkish green and measure about two to three inches.



Myoga can be eaten raw or cooked. My first recipe for myoga is VERY easy. It's a classic hiyayakko (cold tofu) with fresh myoga. The ideal type of tofu to pair with myoga is soft tofu. And instead of plain soy sauce, a little bit of added sweetness (mirin) brings out the subtle flavors of the myoga.

INGREDIENTS

1/2 block of tofu
2-3 myoga
1 tbsp shoyu
1 tbsp mirin

METHOD

1. Cut tofu for two servings

2. Slice myoga in halves, then cut very thin and top on tofu.



3. Combine shoyu and mirin. I used some apple tamari from Aomori instead of shoyu.



4. Drizzle over tofu and myoga.



*Japanify aims to make Japanese cooking at home simple, accessible and affordable. For questions, please email Yoko directly at yoko@umamimart.com or simply comment below!