Umami Cooking

Meaty with a dash of veggies

Agedashi tofu

Age (pronounced ah-geh) means deep fried. Dashi, of course, is the stock made from bonito flakes and kelp. This is a dish of fried tofu served with a sauce made with dashi, soy sauce, rice wine and ginger. Hence, agedashi tofu. For me, it’s the queen of tofu dishes. Squares of fried delicate soft tofu served with a light salty-sweet sauce.

Agedashi tofu

Tofu recipe

Cook’s notes

Two characteristics make this dish stand out. First, the contrasting textures of the fried tofu — soft inside but crisp outside because of the coating.
Second, the sauce in which the tofu is served. Most restaurants serve the sauce on the side as a dipping sauce. I think it’s better to let the tofu sit in the sauce. By itself, the fried tofu is bland but give it a chance to absorb the sauce and it becomes perfectly seasoned.
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 (see “Tofu: how to buy, prep and cook“.
Okay, so how do we give tofu a great texture and how do we make a tasty sauce in which to let them sit? Three tips:
  1. Remove as much water from the tofu as you possibly can
  2. Reduce the sauce for concentrated flavors
  3. Coat the tofu with starch before frying

Agedashi tofu

Prep: 10 minutes
Cook: 15 minutes
Total: 25 minutes
Servings: 4 people
Course: Appetizer, Snack
Cuisine: Japanese
Label: Fried tofu
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Ingredients

  • 1 cake kinugoshi or “cotton” tofu (about 300 grams / 10.5 oz.)
  • 1 cup dashi
  • 2 tablespoons Japanese soy sauce
  • 2 tablespoons mirin
  • 1 teaspoon grated ginger
  • ½ cup potato starch or cornstarch
  • 2 to 4 cups cooking oil for frying
  • sliced scallions to garnish
  • bonito flakes to garnish

Instructions

Prepare the tofu

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

Make the sauce

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

Fry the tofu

  1. Cut the tofu into cubes.
  2. Place the starch in a shallow bowl and gently roll each tofu cube to completely coat the outside. Shake off any excess.
    Coating tofu with starch
  3. 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.
  4. 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.
    Deep frying tofu

Serve the agedashi tofu

  1. Arrange the cooked tofu in a shallow bowl.
  2. Drizzle the sauce over and around the fried tofu.
    Agedashi tofu
  3. Garnish with bonito flakes and sliced scallions.
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Meaty with a dash of veggies