Otoki Tofu Chocolate Mochi Brownies

I remember asking Santa for an Easy Bake Oven for Christmas one year when I was young, wanting to bake up bite-sized cakes, cookies, and whatever else that could fit inside the small, table-top toy oven.

And it was one of the best childhood Christmas gifts I can remember.

I found it fascinating that I could slide in a little round pan with a small pouch of cake mix and water using the plastic utensils provided, to be able to make something for Mom and me.

Growing up with Mom was always a food adventure. She used to have her own Japanese/Hawaiian take-out shop and would share stories of early morning cooking. She would whip out a gourmet meal in less than Rachel Ray's 30 minutes, and would always help me make Banana Bread when the fruits would start to turn black.

It's no wonder why I love food so much and why I try my hand at baking and cooking.

This past Christmas, my Mom gave me her usual stocking stuffers of underwear and random goodies like a pair of toothbrushes. She also gave me a copy of the LA Senshin Buddhist Temple Cookbook, OTOKI.

That was something we always had in the kitchen growing up - lots of cookbooks, including the kind you picked up at the Church Bazaar. Regardless of Christian or Buddhist faiths, we had spiral bound copies of Japanese and Asian American recipe favorites like Spam Musubi and Teriyaki Sesame Chicken.

This newer cookbook version did not come spiral bound, but came packaged in a sleek, shiny black 3-ring binder with beautiful food photographs that divided each section and a professionally designed layout.

When I got my hands on this modernized Church Bazaar cookbook, I leafed through the pages and skimmed them for new recipes. I even spied my friend's "Award-Winning Chili" which I'll have to try before we have our chili cook-off and competition at work.

I also learned that "OTOKI" literally translates to mean dinner or food, but that in traditional Buddhist context, it refers to the vegetarian meal served to monks after a service.

Today the idea has a broader meaning, one that "signals an enjoyable occasion to relax and catch up with friends and family while sharing good food."

My kind of cookbook, indeed.



Here's a recipe I had to try:
Chocolate Mochi Brownies submitted by Suzanne Toji

INGREDIENTS:
+ 1 box mochiko (1 lb worth)
+ 1 3/4 c sugar
+ 1/4 c cocoa powder
+ 2 eggs
+ 1 large can evaporated milk
+ 1 block of EXTRA-SOFT (Sukui) tofu
+ 1 Tbsp baking soda
+ 1/4 c semi-sweet chocolate chips
+ powdered sugar

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Mix all ingredients (minus chocolate chips and powdered sugar) in large bowl.
3. Pour into greased/floured 9x13" Pyrex dish.
4. Sprinkle chocolate chips on top.
5. Bake for 1 hour in the middle of the oven.
6. Cut into 2" squares and sprinkle with powdered sugar.

The tofu chocolate mochi brownies were extremely easy to make and came out a little crunchy on the outside with a spongy and moist cake-like center. They were not overly sweet but had a hint of chocolate sweetness with each chocolate chip morsel. It almost reminded me of the chocolate dobash cake from King's Hawaiian, just a little denser with that mochi consistency and taste.

Sticky and a little chewy, you would NEVER guess that you were also eating TOFU!

This one was a definite keeper!

LA Senshin Buddhist Temple Cookbook, OTOKI
Cookbook Order Form scanned above
street: 1311 West 37th Street | Los Angeles, CA | 90007
tel: 1.323.731.4617
$25 each / $20 each if 5 or more copies are purchased
Make arrangements to pick up at Temple. They do not ship or deliver.