1 block white konnyaku, cubed, parboiled, and scored lightly with a sharp knife
2 Tbsp soy sauce
1 Tbsp sugar
2 tsp japanese curry powder
½ cup dashi or vegetable stock
1 Tbsp olive oil
to garnish – chopped green onions
Instructions
Cut the konnyaku into small bite size blocks and boil in water for about 5 minutes and drain.
Use a sharp knife and score all sides of the blocks. You want to create a criss-cross pattern with as many small cuts as possible, about 1/8 to 1/16th of an inch deep. Once scored, set aside.
Using a large sauté pan, heat olive oil and lightly brown the konnyaku on all sides, 7-10 minutes.
While browning combine the seasonings into one jar so you can dissolve the sugar and easily pour into the pan to reduce.
Once the konnyaku blocks have browned, add the sauce and cook for a 2-3 minutes until liquid is reduced.
As the liquid cooks down, about half way ad in the curry powder and mix into the sauce ensuring all of it has been incorporated.
At this point you can serve for a saucier dish or cook down for a more concentrated and bolder flavor.
Serve with the green onions on top.
Notes
Consider using a deeper frying pan or a dutch oven to minimiuze the oil splattering everywhere.
Make sure to thoroughly brown your konnyaku blocks because it will help to improve the texture and flavor.
Another important technique is the scoring of the surface, the scoring helps to not only improve the texture by allowing liquid from the surface to cook off, but also allow more surface area for the seasonings to stick to.
Using white blocks will help to see how well it has browned, but if you’re using brown konnyaku, you can pick up a piece and see if you notice any small bubbles that have formed under the skins.