Agedashi Tofu

RecipenKitchen Recipe 40 min · Serves 2 · Japanese

Why make it Crisp-edged fried tofu sitting in a warm, savoury dashi broth with grated radish and spring onion. A light Japanese dinner that comes together in about 40 minutes.

You’ll need

Serves 2 400 g firm tofu, drained 400 ml water, for the dashi 5 g dried kombu, wiped with a damp cloth 10 g dried bonito flakes (katsuobushi) 3 tbsp light soy sauce 2 tsp sugar 4 tbsp potato starch or cornflour, for dusting 300 ml neutral oil, for shallow frying + 5 more in the full recipe

1 Step 1 of 10 Wrap the tofu in a clean tea towel or a few layers of kitchen paper, set a plate on top and weigh it down with a tin. Leave it to press for 15 minutes so the surface dries out and fries crisp.

2 Step 2 of 10 Meanwhile, put the water and kombu in a small saucepan and warm over low heat for 8 to 10 minutes. Take the kombu out just before the water starts to boil, as it turns bitter if boiled.

3 Step 3 of 10 Bring the kombu water to a gentle boil, add the bonito flakes and turn off the heat. Let them sink and steep for 2 minutes, then strain through a fine sieve. You need about 350 ml of dashi.

4 Step 4 of 10 Return the dashi to the pan with the soy sauce and sugar. Warm over low heat, stirring until the sugar dissolves, then keep it hot but not boiling.

5 Step 5 of 10 Squeeze the grated radish lightly to remove excess water. Pat the pressed tofu dry and cut it into 6 even cubes or thick rectangles. The last 5 steps are in the full recipe.

Cook’s tip Pressing the tofu properly is the key step. Wet tofu spits in the oil and the coating will not crisp.

Agedashi Tofu

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