Japanese Style Tofu Recipes

JAPANESE AGEDASHI TOFU

Steps:

• Place the block of tofu between sheets of paper towels. Set a plate on top; add a 3- to 5-pound weight to the plate. Press tofu for 15 minutes; drain and discard the accumulated liquid.
• Meanwhile, combine water, soy sauce, mirin, and dashi in a saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Remove from heat and set aside.
• Remove weight, plate, and paper towels. Cut tofu into 3/4-inch cubes. Place flour in a bowl and lightly coat tofu with flour.
• Heat oil in a heavy pot and fry tofu until golden-brown, 4 to 6 minutes. Fry in batches if necessary so as not to overcrowd the pot. Place fried tofu in a serving dish and pour sauce on top. Sprinkle with green onions.

AGEDASHI DOFU: JAPANESE FRIED TOFU IN A DASHI-BASED SAUCE

Steps:

• Gather the ingredients.
• Wrap the tofu with paper towels, and place it on a flat tray. Put a cutting board or a flat plate on top of the tofu , and let sit for about 15 minutes.
• Meanwhile, put dashi, soy sauce, and mirin in a saucepan, and bring to a boil.
• Mix 1 tablespoon katakuriko potato starch with 1 tablespoon water.
• Add the katakuriko mixture to the sauce, and stir quickly. Stop the heat.
• Dry the tofu with paper towels, and cut each tofu piece in half.
• Dust the tofu with 4 tablespoons of katakuriko to coat the pieces completely.
• Heat oil to 350 F in a deep pot.
• Deep-fry the tofu pieces until they turn light brown. Drain on paper towels.
• Place each fried tofu piece in a small dish and pour the sauce over it. Garnish with grated ginger and bonito flakes, if using.

CRISPY SZECHUAN-STYLE EGGPLANT AND TOFU

Steps:

• In a shallow dish, combine 2/3 cup of the cornstarch, the salt and pepper. Toss the eggplant pieces in the cornstarch mixture to coat, shaking off the excess; set aside. Repeat the process with the tofu.
• Heat 1/2 inch of the peanut oil in a large, deep, straight-sided skillet over medium heat until it shimmers. Working in batches, cook the eggplant first, tossing gently until golden brown, about 3 minutes on each side. Transfer to a paper-towel-lined plate to drain. Repeat with the remaining eggplant and the tofu.
• In a small bowl, whisk together the chicken stock, soy sauce, vinegar, sugar, lime juice and remaining 2 teaspoons cornstarch.
• Carefully drain the oil from the skillet, and wipe out any residue using paper towels held with tongs. Add 1 tablespoon of peanut oil to the skillet and heat it over medium heat. Add the ginger, about 1 teaspoon of the minced chiles (or to taste) and the garlic. Cook, stirring, until just fragrant, about 30 seconds; pour in the chicken stock mixture and bring it to a simmer. Simmer until slightly thickened, 2 to 3 minutes.
• Add the cooked eggplant and tofu to the skillet and toss gently to combine. Stir in the sesame oil and remove from the heat. Serve immediately over rice and garnished with the remaining minced chiles if desired and chopped cilantro.

CRISPY ASIAN-GLAZED TOFU (5 INGREDIENTS)

Steps:

• Slice tofu width-wise into 6 slabs. Use a kitchen towel to gently press each slice to remove excess liquid; cut into 1-inch cubes.
• Combine hoisin, soy sauce, chili garlic sauce, and vinegar in a small bowl; stir with a whisk.
• Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high. Add tofu and cook, untouched, for 3 minutes, until bottom of cubes are golden-brown. Toss and cook 5 extra minutes, tossing occasionally, to brown all sides. Add Asian glaze and cook 2 more minutes, stirring often, until tofu absorbs glaze and becomes caramelized. Remove from heat and serve.

MAPO TOFU (MABO DOFU)

Steps:

• Gather all the ingredients.
• Combine all the ingredients for the seasonings (the doubanjiang, mirin, miso, oyster sauce, soy sauce, sesame oil, cornstarch, and water) in a bowl and mix well together.
• Mince the garlic cloves and ginger finely.
• Cut the green onions into small pieces. Drain the tofu and cut into 1-inch (2.5 cm) cubes.
• In a large frying pan, heat the vegetable oil on medium heat and sauté the garlic and ginger. Make sure you don't burn them. Once they are fragrant, add the ground pork and break it up with a spatula or wooden spoon.
• When the meat is no longer pink, add the seasonings mixture and stir thoroughly. Bring the sauce to a boil
• Once the sauce is boiling, add the tofu and gently coat it with the sauce. Stir frequently, without mashing the tofu, until it is heated through. Add the green onions and stir to incorporate just before taking the pan off the heat. Serve immediately.

JAPANESE-STYLE TOFU

Steps:

• Cut the tofu into 4 rectangular pieces and remove the excess moisture by placing heavy pans directly on top of the tofu. Let stand about 20 minutes.
• Heat both oils up in a non-stick pan over medium heat. Fry the tofu on all sides to seal.
• Place the tofu on a serving platter.
• In a small saucepan over medium-high heat, combine the soy sauce, rice vinegar, ginger and water (or broth). Just before the mixture comes to a boil, whisk in the miso.
• Pour the sauce over the cooked tofu. Garnish with scallions, watercress or daikon sprouts, and the black sesame seeds.
• Can be served hot or at room temperature.

ASIAN GARLIC TOFU

Steps:

• Remove tofu from packaging. Place about 4 paper towels on a plate. Set tofu on top of plate and cover with more paper towels. Place a cast iron pan or something else that is heavy on top. Let sit 30 minutes.
• In a medium bowl, stir together Hoisin sauce, soy sauce, sugar, ginger, garlic, and red pepper flakes.
• Cut tofu into bite-sized pieces. Place in bowl with sauce and toss to coat. Let sit 30 minutes.
• Heat olive oil in a medium cast iron pan over medium-high heat. Once really hot, add tofu. Once nicely seared on the bottom, flip over. Continue to cook until seared on bottom.
• Drizzle with sesame oil and remove from heat.
• Sprinkle with green onions and serve with rice.

JAPANESE MAPO TOFU (MABO DOFU)

Steps:

• Enjoy!