Agedashi dōfu

Tofu pressed, dusted in starch and fried, with the broth poured round it and never over it.

Fish, Tofu. Not vegetarian — contains fish.

Ingredients

• 600 g silken tofu
• 60 g potato starch
• 300 ml dashi
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons mirin
• 4 tablespoons grated daikon
• 20 g ginger, grated
• 2 spring onions, sliced
• katsuobushi, to finish
• oil, for deep frying

Method

1. POURED ROUND IT, NEVER OVER IT. The broth goes into the bowl first or down the side, so the fried surface stays above the liquid and keeps its crispness for the first few mouthfuls. Poured over the top it is soft before it reaches the table.
2. PRESS THE TOFU, 30 minutes between two boards with a light weight. Silken tofu is mostly water and unpressed it spits violently and the coating slides off.
3. A LIGHT weight. Too heavy and silken tofu simply collapses.
4. Cut into 5 cm cubes and pat every face dry.
5. Dust in potato starch and shake the excess off, then let them stand 5 minutes until the starch looks damp. That is the sign it will adhere.
6. Oil at 180C. Three or four pieces at a time, turned once, 3 to 4 minutes, until pale gold and the surface has set into a skin. It should not brown much.
7. Lift onto a rack, never paper.
8. Broth: dashi, soy and mirin warmed together. Do not reduce it -- it should be light and drinkable, not a sauce.
9. Broth into the bowl, tofu set on top, so it sits part submerged.
10. Grated daikon and ginger on the tofu, spring onion and katsuobushi over. Serve at once.

Our own recipe. This one was written for this site rather than taken from anywhere, so there is no source to point you at. The quantities and the order of the steps are choices, not the only way to do it.

Filed under Japan · All recipes