ちやんちやんとうふ 水法ちり煮

This recipe, 'Chanchan Tofu Mizuhō Chirini', hails from the 'Ryōri shitsuke hō', a Japanese cookbook published in 1642 during the Kan'ei era. This was a time when Japanese cuisine was refining its staple techniques and ingredients, with tofu having established a firm presence as a nutritious, easily flavored food. Such recipes reflected both the frugality and the ingenuity of early Edo period Japanese kitchens, emphasizing subtle flavors, texture, and the use of simple kitchen staples like dashi and salt. The inclusion of ways to 'bake' or 'broil' the dish also hints at the adaptability of these preparations to the means and tools available.

Cooks would have used wooden ladles, rice paddles, and thick-lipped iron pots (nabe) over a traditional hearth or open fire. A bamboo mat or pressing stones might have been used to press water from the tofu. Coarse roasted salt would be made by toasting salt in an iron pan over coals until aromatic and slightly golden. Earthenware or wooden bowls would serve for mixing and presentation. For the optional broiled or baked versions, a simple charcoal brazier or the residual coals of a hearth could provide the appropriate heat, with the tofu mixture sometimes spread on a wooden or ceramic plank for browning.