Asparagus Tofu Stir-Fry

New Year's. 2026. The year of the Dashi newsletter. The year I am forty. The year the forties begin in earnest — not the doorstep, not the approach, but the decade itself, entered, inhabited, lived. I am in the forties. The forties are in me. The forties are the room I described last August: a room with windows on all sides, the view in every direction, the view clear, the view mine.

I made ozoni. The twelfth year. The soup from memory, from muscle, from the body that is the practice. Miya made hers beside me — the annual doubling, two pots, two soups, mother and daughter, the practice multiplied by two. Her ozoni was excellent. My ozoni was excellent. The two excellences sat side by side on the table, in the chipped bowl and the blue bowl, and the two bowls held the two soups and the two soups held the two women and the two women held the practice and the practice held everything.

I did not make a resolution. The resolution is the soup. The resolution is the Dashi. The resolution is: launch the newsletter in March. Write the first issue. Send it to the two hundred subscribers. See if the rawness finds its people. The rawness will find its people. The rawness always finds its people. The people who need the rawness are the people who live in kitchens at three AM, making soup because the world is too much and the soup is enough. The people are many. The people are the community. The community is the Dashi.

At midnight: "Happy New Year, Fumiko. I am forty. Miya is nine. The soup is good. The Dashi is coming. Everything you taught me, I am teaching. Everything you cooked, I am cooking. Everything you were, I am becoming. The becoming is not complete. The becoming is never complete. The becoming is the practice. The practice continues. Happy New Year, Obaachan. The chain holds."

The ozoni was the ceremony. But the kitchen does not close when the ceremony ends — not in my kitchen, not with Miya still beside me asking what’s next. This asparagus tofu stir-fry is what we make when the soup bowls are in the drying rack and the afternoon is still ours: fast, bright, full of the same care that goes into everything we cook together, because the practice is not only the ritual. The practice is also the ordinary Tuesday. The practice is this.

Prep Time: 15 min | Cook Time: 15 min | Total Time: 30 min | Servings: 4

Ingredients

1 block (14 oz) firm tofu, pressed and cut into 3/4-inch cubes
1 lb fresh asparagus, tough ends trimmed, cut into 2-inch pieces
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
1 teaspoon fresh ginger, grated
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon cornstarch
2 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided
1 teaspoon toasted sesame seeds, for garnish
2 green onions, thinly sliced, for garnish
Cooked rice, for serving

Instructions

Press and prepare the tofu. Wrap the tofu block in a clean kitchen towel and set a heavy pan on top for at least 10 minutes. Once pressed, cut into 3/4-inch cubes and toss gently with the cornstarch until lightly coated.
Make the sauce. In a small bowl, whisk together the soy sauce, sesame oil, rice vinegar, grated ginger, and minced garlic. Set aside.
Sear the tofu. Heat 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil in a large skillet or wok over medium-high heat. Add the tofu cubes in a single layer and cook without moving for 3–4 minutes until golden on the bottom. Turn and cook another 2–3 minutes until crisp on most sides. Remove tofu from the pan and set aside.
Stir-fry the asparagus. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil to the hot pan. Add the asparagus and stir-fry over high heat for 3–4 minutes until bright green and just tender-crisp.
Combine and finish. Return the tofu to the pan with the asparagus. Pour the sauce over everything and toss to coat. Cook for 1–2 minutes more, until the sauce thickens slightly and clings to the tofu and asparagus.
Garnish and serve. Transfer to a serving platter or directly over bowls of steamed rice. Scatter toasted sesame seeds and sliced green onions over the top and serve immediately.

Nutrition (per serving)

Asparagus Tofu Stir-Fry — The Practice That Continues