Green Bean Shiraae (Mashed Tofu Salad)

1. Gather all the ingredients. To store the leftover tofu, keep it in an airtight container and pour water until it covers the tofu. Keep in the refrigerator (change the water every day) and use it within a few days.

To Prepare the Tofu

1. Wrap 7 oz medium-firm tofu (momen dofu) with paper towels to drain some of the water. Do not skip this step. You don’t want to drain the water from tofu completely, but it’s important to remove some moisture so the dressing doesn’t get too wet.
2. Put the wrapped tofu on a tray or plate. Add another tray or plate on top of the tofu and put a heavy object on top to facilitate draining. Set aside for 30 minutes.

To Prepare the Green Beans

1. Bring a big pot of water to a boil. Tear off the ends of 9 oz green beans.
2. Boil green beans until crisp-tender (please don’t overcook it).
3. Drain well and set aside.
4. Cut the green beans diagonally into 2-inch (5-cm) pieces.
5. Place the green beans in a bowl. Pour 1 tsp soy sauce and toss together. Set aside for later.

To Prepare the Sesame Seeds

1. Toast 4 Tbsp toasted white sesame seeds in a frying pan, shaking the pan frequently, until they are fragrant and started to pop. Transfer to a Japanese mortar (suribachi).
2. Grind the sesame seeds with a pestle (surikogi).

To Make the Tofu Dressing

1. Add 1 Tbsp sugar and 2 tsp miso to the ground sesame seeds.
2. Mix well until the sugar and miso are incorporated into the ground sesame seeds.
3. Remove the tofu from the paper towel. Break it into pieces with your hands and add to the sesame seed mixture.
4. Using a pestle, mash and grind the tofu until smooth or to your liking.
5. It’s important to taste the tofu and season with ⅛ tsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt to taste. It should not be bland. Green beans will be added, so the tofu dressing should have good flavor at this stage.
6. Mix all together until smooth.

To Assemble

1. Be sure to shake off any excess soy sauce from the green beans first. Any liquid from the soy sauce will only dilute the dressing. Then, add the seasoned green beans to the tofu dressing. Combine well.
2. Once combined, you can chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes before serving, or serve immediately.

To Store

1. You can keep it for 24 hours in the refrigerator; however, I recommend consuming it soon.