All about Japanese Menu (Food)!!: May 2012

Menu Taste and Personal Experience:

Agedasi Tofu
Photo By Nami @ justonecookbook.com

Simple but mesmerizing, that is my first impression on this dish. Why? The preparation is quite simple, but the taste is heavenly. The strong and tasty sauce contrast with the soft and subtle taste of the tofu creates a unique eating experience. Apart from that, this dish is also quite healthy and is suitable if you’re on a diet (use cholesterol free oil when frying and make sure to dry out any excess oil before serving). While this dish is easy to make, you can also find this dish in almost every Japanese restaurants around you.

Menu Description:

Agedashi tofu is a Japanese way deep fried tofu that is served with tentsuyu broth. For the best result, the first step is to remove excess water from the tofu. This can be done by wrapping the tofu with towel and gently press the tofu with weights (eg: plate, cutting board). Agedashi tofu is an old and well-known dish. It was included in a 1782 Japanese all-tofu cookbook entitled Tofu Hyakuchin (literally "One hundred Tofu"). While agedashi tofu is the best-known agedashi dish, some other dishes may be prepared with similar techniques. These include agedashi nasu (eggplant).

Menu Ingredients:

Tofu:

· Blocks of soft tofu (buy enough for 4 servings)

· Potato/Corn starch

· Vegetable oil for frying.

Sauce:

· 1 Tbsp soy sauce

· 1 Tbsp mirin

· 1 cup dashi stock

Toppings/Condiments:

· Grated ginger

· Grated daikon (radish)

· Sliced Scallion/Spring Onions

Agedashi Tofu
www.mizuya.com.au

Menu Directions:

Wrap the tofu with paper towels and place it on a flat tray. Put a flat weight (eg: plate or cutting board or book) on top the tofu and let it sit for about 10 -15 minutes to remove excess water.
While waiting, mix soy sauce, mirin, and dashi in a pan and bring to a boil. Remove from heat
Remove used towels from the tofu, grab a new paper towel and dry the tofu
Cut tofu into cubes (around 6x4x3cm)
Heat oil in in a deep pan/fryer
Lightly dust the tofu cubes with potato/corn starch
Deep-fry tofu until they turn lightly brown. Remove excess oil on paper towels.
Place each fried tofu in a small bowl and pour the mixed sauce over it.
Top with grated ginger, grated daikon and sliced scallions.