Ingredients :

• Atsuage (deep-fried tofu) — This is a block of firm tofu that has already been deep-fried once—giving it its golden skin and slightly springy feel. You can find it in Asian grocery stores, often in the refrigerated vacuum-packed section. If you can’t find it, take extra-firm tofu, press it well in a towel for fifteen minutes, cut it into cubes and brown them in oil before continuing. The result is a bit more fragile, but it works perfectly.
• Shanghai Bok Choy (baby bok choy) — Sweeter and more tender than large bok choy. The white stems are crunchy, while the leaves cook in less than two minutes. The key detail: separate stems and leaves when cutting; they have very different cooking times, and if you treat them the same, you’ll end up with overcooked leaves and hard stems.
• Brown Shimeji Mushrooms — These small clustered mushrooms have a slightly earthy, nutty flavor, very different from button mushrooms. If you can’t find them, thinly sliced fresh shiitake make an excellent replacement. Enoki work too, but they are more fragile—add them at the very last minute.
• Fresh Ginger — Grate it finely—you want it to disappear into the sauce, not bite into a fibrous piece while eating. Pro tip: keep a knob of ginger in the freezer. You don’t even need to peel it before grating it directly with a fine grater.