Ingredients
Units
Scale
Tofu
- 1 package medium-firm tofu in water
- 1 cup whole wheat flour
- 2 Tbsp tapioca starch/flour, cornstarch, potato starch, or arrowroot flour
- 1/2 cup cornmeal or polenta
- 1/4 cup old fashioned rolled oats
- Vegetable, safflower, or canola oil for frying
- Pinch of salt & pepper
Dashi Broth
- 2 Green onions, chopped
- 1 Tbsp soy sauce
- 1.5 cups water
- 1/4 cup ponzu sauce
- 2 tsp of honey
- 10-12 dried anchovies or 1 Tbsp of fish sauce
- 1 tsp of wakame or 2" piece of kombu in a muslin bag
- 2 Tbsp mirin
- 2 tsp tapioca starch/flour
- Salt to taste
Toppings
- Enoki mushrooms, cooked in dashi broth (optional)
- Chili sesame oil (optional)
- Bonito flakes (optional)
- Grated Daikon radish (optional)
- Grated ginger (optional)
Instructions
- Mix together the salt, pepper, flour, starch, cornmeal, & oats in a small bowl & set aside.
- Drain water from tofu package. Plate & cover tofu with a paper towel or towel in microwave for 3 minutes on high. Drain water. Set aside to cool on paper towel/towel for 10-15 minutes.
- In a small saucepan, heat water to a boil & place muslin bag with anchovies & seaweed. Steep for the duration of the sauce creation.
- In a separate bowl, mix together 1 tbsp of the starch, mirin, ponzu sauce, & soy sauce. Mix well until smooth. Pour the sauce into the boiling saucepan of water. Mix well until sauce thickens. Add honey, enoki, & salt to taste about 10 minutes after.
- Cut into desirable pieces of 1.5″ to 2″ per cube. Restaurants serve them in large pieces, but I prefer smaller chunks so I have more chunks to eat throughout the week.
- Heat oil in a saucepan until it starts cackling. There should be enough oil to coat at least 3/4ths of the tofu.
- Drain additional water from the tofu & coat them with the flour mixture. Tofu should be moist enough for the mixture to stick to it. If it’s too dry, toss the tofu in some oil & then coat it in flour.
- Fry in oil until the tofu is golden; about 3-5 minutes on each side depending on size. Plate the tofu onto a paper towel to collect excess oil.
- Place tofu in a bowl & ladle the dashi broth around it. Sprinkle bonito flakes, daikon radish, grated ginger, chili sesame oil, & scallions. Masago is a great topper as well.
Notes
- To make this vegan/vegetarian, omit the anchovies &/or honey. Replace honey with agave or light syrup. Add a bit of lemon zest & ginger to give it more depth.
- Prep Time: 30
- Cook Time: 20
- Cuisine: Japanese