Agedashi tofu with shitake and kombu broth
My all time favourite way to eat tofu!
Growing up in a vegetarian house hold, I am VERY familiar with tofu. Luckily I love it. As I kid I used to eat slices of raw firm tofu like cheese. However, I never saw it as a delicacy, it was just a tasty source of protein. All that changed when I first tried Agedashi tofu at a Japanese Isakaya. I was instantly hooked - I couldn't believe tofu could taste that good! Crispy on the outside, super soft in the middle and served in an amazing broth. In my opinion, it is the broth or sauce, called tsuyu, that makes is so special. It tastes super complex and delicious.
So when I finally got around to trying to make it at home, I was amazed to discover just how simple it is to make. Only four ingredients are needed and it tastes likes hours of hard work went into it! Seriously if you want to impress you friends, make this for them and trust me, they will be super impressed by your culinary talents! Just don't tell then how easy it is. I still can't believe how delicious the tsuyu is and that I can make it in less than five minutes. I love it so much I made it into a salad dressing (adding sesame and ginger) – check out the recipe here.
This is one of those recipes that I think even hard core tofu haters will like. I seriously can't understand how anyone could not love it. The first time I made it for my family, the kids were fighting over the last piece. It may have something to do with the salt and sugar content in the sauce but hey, at least they are enjoying tofu! It is now a staple in our house for dinner. We often serves some rice on the side and a little salad and there is a super easy and quick dinner.
Traditionally agedasi tofu used dashi stock containing dried fish and is served with dried bonito flakes on top. To make this vegetarian I use either shitake dashi or kombu (kelp) dashi and omit the dried bonito flakes. You can either use dried dashi stock granules or if you prefer you can make your own stock. This recipe uses the stock granules but if you want to make your own there a a ton of recipes out there. Making my own stock is on my to do list and i'll update this recipe when I have found a version I am happy with.
Agedashi tofu recipe
Prep time: 20 minutes plus 30 minutes to drain the tofu
Makes: 6 serves as a small starter (3 pieces of tofu per person)
Dietary Guide: The recipe is vegan and FODMAP (make sure not to use silken tofu). To make it gluten free use tamari instead of soy sauce.
Ingredients
500g of semi-firm tofu
½ cup of potato starch
500ml of mild flavoured cooking oil
2 ½ teaspoon of shitake or kombu dashi stock powder*
¼ cup of good quality Mirin (rice wine)
¼ cup of light soy sauce
1 ½ tablespoon of sugar
1 tablespoon of toasted white sesame seeds
1 tablespoon of dried chilli threads
1 tablespoon of chopped green spring onion
1 tablespoon of grated daikon or kohlrabi
*Dashi stock powder can be found at Asian specialty shops. You can use either shitake dashi, kombu dashi or a mixture of both - just make sure it is vegetarian. You can also make your own using dried shitake mushrooms.
Method
First drain the tofu of excess water. Wrap the tofu in a clean tea towel or paper towel (use multiple layers) and place a medium weight on top. Let it sit for at least half an hour before using.
Meanwhile, make the broth. Place all the ingredients together in a small saucepan along with 1 3/4 cups of water and bring to the boil. Simmer for about five minutes and turn off until needed.
Heat the oil in a deep medium sized saucepan until it reaches about 170-180 degree Celsius. Cut the tofu into 3cm cubes and place the potato starch in a small bowl or plate. Working in batches, roll 3 pieces of tofu in the starch until evenly and throughly coated.* Immediately deep fry (3 at a time) for about 3 minutes until golden. Drain on some paper towel and repeat until all the tofu is cooked.
Re-heat the broth and place the tofu in 6 serving bowls. Pour the broth around the tofu and top with the grated daikon or kohlrabi, sesame seeds, spring onion and chilli threads. Enjoy!
*Test a piece first to see if you have the right amount of potato starch coating the tofu. Too little and you won’t get enough of the nice crispy skin. If needed, roll the tofu more throughly in the potato starch until you get it right.
