Agedashi Tofu

Recipe by Connie Veneracion

Is agedashi tofu an easy recipe or is it for seasoned cooks only? Let’s just say that it doesn’t take a miracle to successfully fry soft tofu. The key is in finding the right kind of tofu and learning how to handle it. For me, the ideal tofu for this dish is kinugoshi or “cotton” tofu which is firmer than silken tofu but softer than firm tofu.

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 15

Total Time 25

Course Appetizer, Snack

Cuisine Japanese

Servings people

Print Recipe

Ingredients

1 cake kinugoshi or “cotton” tofu about 300 grams
1 cup dashi
2 tablespoons Japanese soy sauce
2 tablespoons mirin (see notes after the recipe)
1 teaspoon grated ginger
½ cup potato starch or corn starch
2 to 4 cups cooking oil for frying
sliced scallions to garnish
bonito flakes to garnish

Instructions

Prepare the tofu

Place the tofu between two stacks of paper towels.
Place a bowl on top and leave to allow the paper towels to absorb excess moisture.

Make the sauce

Pour the dashi, soy sauce and mirin into a small pot.
Stir in the grated ginger.
Boil the sauce for about five minutes to reduce and heighten the flavors then set aside to cool.

Fry the tofu

Cut the tofu into cubes.
Place the starch in a shallow bowl and gently roll each tofu cube to completely coat the outside. Shake off any excess.
Pour enough cooking oil into a wok or frying pan to reach a depth of at least three inches. Heat until wisps of smoke float on the surface.
Fry the tofu, in batches so as not to overcrowd the pan, just until the coating turns crisp, about two to three minutes per batch.

Serve the agedashi tofu

Arrange the cooked tofu in a shallow bowl.
Drizzle the sauce over and around the fried tofu.
Garnish with bonito flakes and sliced scallions.

Notes

Sake can be used in place of mirin. But because sake is not as sweet as mirin, you'll have to add about a teaspoon of sugar to get a good balance of flavors.

Updated from a recipe originally published in May 14, 2012.

Keyword Tofu