Agedashi Tofu

Cook Time 35 Minutes

Servings 4

Ingredients

3 x 300gm silken (soft) tofu blocks
¼ cup potato starch (or corn starch)
Vegetable oil, for deep frying
500ml dashi* (1 tbsp dashi powder to 500ml water)
2 tbsp mirin
2 tbsp light soy sauce

To serve
1 spring onion, finely sliced
Daikon radish, peeled and finely grated
Dried bonito flakes (Katsuobushi), if desired
Dried seaweed, rehydrated
Dried shiitake, rehydrated and sliced

Method

To drain the tofu, remove from pack, strain liquid and wrap in some cloth. Press down between two plates for 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, place the dashi, mirin and soy sauce in a small saucepan and bring to the boil. Remove from the heat and set aside, covered with a lid to keep warm.

Heat oil in a heavy bottomed saucepan to 180°C. Remove the tofu from the kitchen paper and pat dry. Cut each tofu blocks into 4 cubes (or 8, if desired).

Place the potato starch in a small bowl. Once the oil has come to temperature, roll each cube of tofu in the flour to evenly coat. Gently shake off the excess flour and gently lower each cube of tofu into the oil using a metal slotted spoon. Cook tofu until crispy and slightly puffed – not browned. Remove the tofu and place on a plate lined with kitchen paper to drain excess oil.
To serve, place tofu in bowl and pour the hot dashi over the tofu. Top with daikon, green onion and bonito flakes, if desired.