← Nouns Cooking · Japanese

Ingredients

• 400 g medium-firm (momen) tofu
• 3 tbsp potato starch or cornflour
• 500 ml neutral oil, for frying
• 180 ml Dashi powder or stock
• 2 tbsp Soy sauce
• 2 tbsp Mirin
• 5 cm piece Daikon radish, finely grated and lightly squeezed
• 1 tsp Ginger, finely grated
• 1 Spring onion, finely sliced
• 1 handful Bonito flakes (optional)

Method

1. Wrap the tofu in kitchen paper, set it on a plate with another plate on top and leave for 15 min to drain.
2. Bring the dashi, soy and mirin to a simmer in a small pan, then keep it warm on the lowest heat.
3. Cut the tofu into 6 cubes and pat them dry. Roll each cube in the starch just before frying so the coating stays dry and powdery.
4. Heat 3 cm of oil in a small pan to 170°C (340°F). Fry the tofu a few pieces at a time for 3–4 min, turning gently, until crisp and pale golden. Drain on a rack.
5. Set the tofu in shallow bowls, pour the hot sauce around (not over) it and top with daikon, ginger, spring onion and bonito flakes. Eat while the crust is still crisp.

Tips

• For a vegetarian version, make the sauce with kombu dashi and leave off the bonito flakes.
• Contains soy and wheat (soy sauce).

Sources

Written in our own words after cross-checking these recipes:

Japanese Cooking 101 RecipeTin Japan Chopstick Chronicles