Bento 5 - Tofu hayashi

Great served as a main course, but can be also eaten as bento.

tofu hayashi:
note:
I made this again recently and it turned out inedible.  Not bad, INEDIBLE.  The hayashi had this very sour, off putting flavor that just completely ruined the dish.  It was probably the most foul thing I ever cooked and thank god I wasn't serving it to people.  I re-made it a few more times and determined that the ketchup and tomato gave the hayashi sauce that sour, off putting flavor.  I reduced the amount of both in the sauce and it turned out great and as I expected.

Please MEASURE with measuring spoons both the ketchup and diced tomato.  If, after finishing the sauce you want a more sour, tomatoy flavor, add more if you like.  But for the original sauce, be precise and wary of the ketchup and tomato.

I didn't have any meat on hand, so I just improvised with tofu.  I also didn't have any mushrooms or carrots which I would have liked to put in.  Despite the changes, this was surprisingly delicious.

To be honest, this isn't the greatest bento dish simply because it tastes better fresh but it was still great and super tasty at room temperature for lunch.

The recipe listed is for the ideal hayashi rice.  I didn't have half the ingredients listed and it was still awesome.  The essentials are obviously the roux, beef broth, ketchup, wine, tomatoes, and some vegetables, but you can improvise.

ingredients:
enough for 1 hungry person

1.  3 (2 TBL roux + 1 TBL rice) TBL butter
2.  2 TBL flour
3.  1 cup (1/4 cup roux + 1/2-3/4 cup sauce) low sodium beef broth
4.  1/2 of an onion - sliced into 1/2" slices
5.  1 carrot sliced into 1/8" half moons
6.  3 button mushrooms, cleaned and sliced into 1/4" slices
7.  1 garlic clove minced
8.  1 tsp ketchup (Measure with measuring spoons)
9.  2 TBL chopped up fresh tomato (Measure with measuring spoons)
10.  2 TBL dry red wine (Measure with measuring spoons)
11.  1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
12.  3/4 tsp soy sauce (measure with measuring spoons)
13.  1/2 tsp honey (measure with measuring spoons)
14.  1 bay leaf
15.  1 cup of firm tofu, rinsed well, dried thoroughly and cut into 1" cubes
16.  2 TBL frozen peas
17.  1 tsp chopped parsely
18.  A dash of whipping cream

recipe:
1.  Add 2 TBL butter to a pan and melt over medium heat.
2.  As soon as its completely melted add flour and stir to dissolve.
3.  Continue heating the roux, stirring frequently to prevent burning, for a solid 10-15 minutes, until the roux takes on a very dark, brown color. 
note:
Make sure not to burn the roux.  Stir frequently and lower heat if it seems too high.
4.  Take the pan off heat, then add 1/4 cup of beef broth and stir.  The mixture should tighten up immediately. 
5.  Continue mixing until it has formed a paste like consistency then transfer to a small plate.
6.  Clean pan and heat up 1/2 TBL of oil and 1/2 TBL of butter over medium high heat for 2 minutes.
7.  Add onions and carrots, a pinch of salt and pepper, and saute for 10 minutes (carrots take a while to soften).
8.  Add garlic and saute until fragrant.
9.  Add in mushrooms, pinch of salt, and cook until starting to wilt
10.  Add in 1 tsp ketchup and stir
11.  Add in 2 TBL tomato and stir well
12.  Add in 2 TBL red wine and stir until it has evaporated
13.  Add in 1/2 cup of beef broth, 1 tsp of  Worcestershire sauce, 3/4 tsp soy sauce, 1/2 tsp honey, 1 bay leaf, the roux, and stir to dilute the roux completely.
14.  Add in tofu and peas and gently stir to incorporate (try not to break up the tofu)
15.  Simmer on medium-low, occasionally gently mixing the tofu in the sauce.
16.  Add in more stock if necessary.  The sauce should actually be somewhat loose, as it will taste gross if too thick and will tighten up as it cools anyway.
16.  Add a healthy pinch of salt and fresh cracked black pepper and mix.
17.  Taste and adjust.  I almost always end up adding in a generous amount of salt as the sauce is usually lacking it.  If you want any more sugar or pepper, add some now and mix to achieve the flavor you want.
18.  Remove bay leaf and add in a little more stock if the sauce is not loose enough.
19.  Mix rice with 1 TBL of butter and mix well so that the butter completely melts throughout.
20.  Plate the rice and serve hayashi tofu either on the side.
21.  Garnish the hayashi tofu with parsley and a dash of whipping cream
22.  Add a plain, lightly salted and peppered omelet on top if desired.