In the Kitchen is where you will find all my recipes and adapted recipes, tried, tested, and eaten.
Agedashi Tofu
Now I know that there are still people on this earth who look at this giggly white substance with trepidation and suspicion. But tofu is one of the best goddamned food out there, if you ask me. Hands down, my all time favorite way of eating it is silken and fried.
Enter Agedashi Tofu*.
Ingredients:
1 block of Silken tofu
starch for coating (I used potato starch, but cornstarch will work too)
oil for frying
mirin
water
soy sauce
001: Very carefully (and I mean carefully! Silken tofu is more sensitive than me on my period last month) remove the silken tofu from it’s packaging. I tend to cut one end of the box, turn it over, and sort of let gravity do the rest until I have that little sucker on my cutting board.
003: Cut the tofu in half lengthwise and then in half crossways. Place the tofu on a plate which already has several pieces of paper towels on it. Place a few sheets of paper towels ontop of the tofu, and place another plate ontop. Plate sandwhich, yeahhhh. Now, put something heavy on the top plate to weight the entire thing down. This will draw some of the water out of the tofu and make the tofu easier to work with. Wait about 30 minutes. You can also change the paper towel half way through.
004: Take apart your post-modern artwork and place your pieces of tofu on a cutting board. Cut the existing pieces into 2-inch squares. Put some starch onto a plate and set both aside.
005: Heat oil for frying in a sauce pan, about 3 inches deep. (Pro Tip: to test to see if the oil is hot enough, place the end of a wooden spoon or tip of a chopstick in the oil. If bubbles form, you’re ready to go)
006: Dust your tofu in the starch and place into your heated oil. Repeat, dusting your tofu only when you are ready to fry it. Try not to crowd the sauce pan. Fry each square until the coating is crispy, firm, and slightly golden brown.
007: Remove the tofu with chopsticks and set on a new plate lined with paper towels. Repeat until all of the tofu has been fried.
008: Place your fried tofu in a bowl and serve with tsuyu (Pro Tip: only pour the tsuyu over the tofu when you are ready to serve to prevent soggy tofu)
Bonus: tsuyu recipe
Ingredients:
1 cup water (plus 1 tablespoon dashi for non vegans/vegetarians)
1/3 cup mirin
1/3 cup soy sauce
001: Heat the water (with or without dashi) over medium-low heat. Add the rest of the ingredients. Stir to combine, and remove from heat. Serve warm.
*Recipe originally featured in “Lets Cook Japanese Food! – Everyday Recipes for Home Cooking” written by Amy Kaneko
Photography: Rae Tashman
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