Vegan Tofu & Shiitake Lū‘au
Aloha! I made this delicious Shiitake & Tofu Lū’au dish tonight for my housemates who hadn't had Hawaiian food before. It's easy to make and so satisfying.
I absolutely love serving this dish to introduce Hawaiian cuisine, because I feel that lū’au represents it so well — warm, comforting, and grounded. It’s not fancy ot trendy like the poké bowls you see on the mainland or in Waikiki.
What is Lū’au?
While most people associate the term with the grand celebration and feast, it has another meaning. Lū’au means “young taro tops”, and references the rich, green leaves of Hawai’i’s prized root vegetable. The leaves are cooked down with coconut milk, onion, and ginger into a beautifully colored stew that is as rich in flavor as it is in nutrition.
Traditionally, lū’au is paired with octopus or chicken. We can easily swap these out for plant-based ingredients. I enjoy soy products such as tempeh, fried tofu, soy curls, and mushrooms.
Taro leaves are notoriously difficult to find outside of Hawai'i, so if you'd like to attempt this recipe, I recommend using spinach. To dial in the flavor in this recipe, we will be drawing on the flavors of two key ingredients: dried shiitake mushrooms and nori. Let me break it down:
Dried shiitake mushrooms → These are umami bombs. Mushrooms already have great umami, but drying them concentrates the umami further. When rehydrated, you can use the mushroom liquid (similar to Japanese dashi) for cooking, along with the meaty mushrooms themselves.
Nori → When it comes to lū’au, I want that seafood flavor. One of the best ways you can bring the same flavor is to use seaweeds. Nori is quite accessible these days, and you only need a sheet or two to drive home that briny flavor.
While this dish is great by itself over some rice, some things you can add to it to further increase the flavor include:
chili crisp
Hawaiian chili pepper water
pickled onions
Whatever you choose, I’m sure you’ll love this recipe. Give it a shot, close your eyes, and you might just wake up in a Hawaiian forest.
Shiitake & Tofu Lū’au (serves 4)
Ingredients:
1 block tofu, cubed and crisped (air-fryer, stovetop, etc)
1 lb spinach, blanched
1 sheet nori
5-6 dried shiitake mushrooms, rehydrated and sliced thin (reserve liquid)
1 T coconut oil
2 scallions (whites and greens separated, sliced)
1 medium onion, sliced
small piece of ginger, minced
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup coconut milk (adjust as desired)
1 cup taro or purple sweet potato, small dice
soy sauce, to taste
salt, to taste
To serve: brown rice, scallions, chili crisp, pickled onions
Method:
Blend spinach: Add the spinach, nori, and some of the reserved mushroom stock to a blender. Blend until smooth.
Brown mushrooms: Heat a sauce pan over medium high heat and add the shiitake mushrooms. Cook, stiring frequently, until browned in some spots. If they begin to stick, add a splash of water.
Bloom aromatics: To the pan, add the coconut oil, onions, garlic, ginger, and scallion whites. Cook until fragrant, about 2 minutes.
Add reserved spinach mixture: Pour in the spinach mixture, coconut milk, and remaining mushroom stock. You want the stew to be on the thicker side, so add only as much liquid as needed. Stir in the cubed taro and simmer until stew is thicc and the taro is cooked through. Adjust seasoning as desired - more coconut milk for creaminess, soy sauce for salt, or mushroom stock for umami.
Serve: Serve in bowls with rice, sliced scallions, chili crisp, and pickled onion.
