Grilled beef and tofu stew

Char the whole onions over the coals, rotating a couple of times, about seven or eight minutes, for a hint of char.

In a pan, make instant dashi with water and dashi powder; add a piece of kombu, mirin, sake, soy sauce and a little sugar.

Slice the charred onions relatively thin, add to the sauce and bring to a simmer, then slide the pan to the cooler side of the grill.

Grill the thinly sliced chuck roll over the hot side, stacked a couple of pieces at a time, just for some char-grilled flavour; oil the grates first. Flip once and transfer to the stew.

Bring back to a simmer, cover and stew until the onions cook down and the beef is falling-apart tender, about 30 to 40 minutes; top up with sake, soy sauce and mirin as needed and adjust with more mirin, sake and sugar for a sweet and savory balance.

Spoon in the tofu in big chunks, nestle into the sauce, return to a simmer, cover and cook about 15 to 20 minutes more; longer firms the tofu. Stir the browned top back in when checking.

Taste, then serve over rice and finish with scallions.