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Agedashi Tofu 揚げ出し豆腐

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A popular appetizer menu at Izakayas and Japanese restaurants, Agedashi tofu is crispy deep fried tofu served in flavorful tsuyu sauce with grated radish, green onion, and bonito flakes as toppings. If you don’t mind deep-frying, this tofu dish is incredibly easy to make at home. 

Agedashi Tofu in a black bowl and cup of sake.

Agedashi Tofu (揚げ出し豆腐) is soft tofu coated with potato starch and deep fried so that the outer shell is crispy.  It is typically served with grated daikon, katsuobushi (bonito flakes), scallion, and grated ginger on top.  Then Tsuyu (sauce) made of dashi, mirin, and soy sauce is poured over the toppings and soaks the tofu to enhance its flavor.  If you like spicy, you can add shichimi togarashi to spice up the taste.

Watch How to Make Agedashi Tofu 揚げ出し豆腐の作り方

Golden crispy deep fried tofu in delicious tsuyu and topped with grated radish, green onion, and bonito flakes.

This unique appetizer is crispy on the outside and creamy and soft inside.  Soaked in the savory sauce, the combination tastes amazing!  This light yet savory dish is served piping hot, so be careful not to burn yourself.

Agedashi Tofu with bonito flakes in a black bowl.

My Other Recipes

Agedashi tofu is a popular appetizer menu at Izakayas and Japanese restaurants.  It is actually not difficult to make if you don’t mind deep frying.  Sometimes it’s hard to believe a delicious dish like this is easy and simple to make at home yourself.

My family loves tofu dishes but my son especially is crazy about agedashi tofu.  This is one of his favorite tofu dish that I make for him along with Mapo Tofu.

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Agedashi Tofu
Agedashi Tofu | Easy Japanese Recipes at JustOneCookbook.com
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Prep Time
15 mins
Cook Time
15 mins
Total Time
30 mins
 
Course: Appetizer
Servings: 3
Ingredients
Sauce:
  • 1 cup dashi (use kombu dashi for vegetarian/vegan)
  • 2 Tbsp soy sauce
  • 2 Tbsp mirin
Toppings:
Instructions

  1. Gather all the ingredients.

    Agedashi Tofu Ingredients
  2. Wrap the tofu with 2-3 layers of paper towels and place another plate on top. Drain the water out of tofu for 15 minutes.
    Agedashi Tofu 1
  3. Peel and grate the daikon and gently squeeze water out. Cut the green onion into thin slices.
    Agedashi Tofu 2
  4. Put dashi, soy sauce, and mirin in a small saucepan and bring to boil. Turn off the heat and set aside.
    Agedashi Tofu 3
  5. Remove the tofu from paper towels and cut it into 8 pieces.
    Agedashi Tofu 4
  6. Heat the oil to 350F (175C) in a deep fryer or medium saucepan. Coat the tofu with potato starch and deep fry until they turn light brown and crispy.
    Agedashi Tofu 5
  7. Remove the tofu and drain excess oil on a plate lined with paper towels or wire rack.
    Agedashi Tofu 6
  8. To serve, place the tofu in a serving bowl and gently pour the sauce without wetting the tofu. Garnish with grated daikon, green onion, katsuobushi, and shichimi togarashi.
    Agedashi Tofu 7
Recipe Notes

Tofu: If this is your first time making Agedashi Tofu, use medium tofu instead of soft tofu since it's easier to cook without breaking it. Once you're more comfortable making Agedashi Tofu and prefer silky tofu texture inside crispy outer layer of Agedashi Tofu, use soft tofu.

For vegetarian agedashi tofu, use kombu dashi.

Recipe by Namiko Chen of Just One Cookbook. All images and content on this site are copyright protected. Please do not use my images without my permission. If you’d like to share this recipe on your site, please re-write the recipe in your own words and link to this post as the original source. Thank you.

Editor’s Note: This post was originally published on June 13, 2011 and has been updated with new pictures/video and revised recipe instructions.

 

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  5. I LOVE agedashi tofu!! The first time I ate it was in a Japanese restaurant here and it tasted fantastic! I have tried to make it myself but it wasn’t so great because the tofu tasted quite bland. I think the restaurant used soft tofu and I used firm tofu. Which tofu is actually normal to be used? When I buy tofu next time, I am sure I’ll try your recipe of agedashi tofu – but I think I’ll only have access to the firm ones, just because the organic ones are always firm (at least here). We can buy soft tofu in Asian markets but we’re trying to avoid that because the soybeans are very likely genetically modified :(.

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    • Hi CG! Some home/restaurant uses silken tofu, but it’s actually quite hard to make as silken tofu can break very easily. You need to use two spoons to dredge in corns starch instead of using hands. I think (as long as I know) momen tofu (reg tofu) is most common. I am not sure about firm tofu…I barely use it. I think regular tofu is the hardest tofu you should use for this recipe.

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  7. Haha, you start blogging after 8pm, I started after 11pm once, clearly blogging takes priority over sleep! I do love tofu but I’ve not heard of this one – I want to try it! (and don’t be scared of baking, I’m sure you’d be a natural!)

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  8. Nami, I still haven’t had anything today apart from a big coffee, so your beautiful pictures make me die of hunger!
    I have never tried deep-frying tofu at home, but am often tempted… A Vietnamese shop (the same where I buy cheap shiso) sells deep-fried tofu and when I enter I try not to look in its direction… Every time I buy it, I finish the whole tofu in one day!
    Seriously, your instructions are as usually so easy to follow and the dish looks so yummy, I’ll have to do this!
    And thanks to you now I know what to do with the white grater I see in the Japanese shop!

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  10. Hey there Nami dahling. Potato starch is really easily accessible here, I think that would be okay, right? You know, I’ve never made this homemade before, I’ve always bought it from the “supa” (lol) I love the burn I get with daikon, vinegar and shoyu (okay, I’m kinda weird but I blame the Mr. Sebastian for turning me onto it).

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    • Hi Elle! Yes, 片栗粉 (potato starch) is what I used to use too. But I see corn starch often in American supermarket so I’m using it. You are lucky living in Japan… I miss Osouzai section. You can buy so many kinds of side dishes. Here, I have to make them myself!!! >_<

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  15. Oh we love Agedashi Tofu and I feel silly but I tried recreating it at home without cornstartch or the heating and dehydrating step. Fail! I can’t wait to try it the right way! These recipes may seem simple to you but you are really heling me to cook better Japanese dishes by sharing! Thanks!
    I love fresh cherries by the way. Picking fruit is such a great activity for your children! My favorite cherry harvest dessert is Cherry crisp. If you have any left, I can send you the recipe.
    Thanks Nami! Keep posting–I love to see what you are cooking!!

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  16. Hi Nami! Tks for sharing this traditional Agedashi tofu recipe! My girls only eat this tofu and the fried egg tofu. 🙂
    I always take out and rinse the tofu right away w/o draining for so long! Now I learn another new thing from you again! Tks! 😀

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  17. Glad to know that your kids enjoyed the cherry picking. I made cherry popsicles last year when cherry was on offer. Hopefully I can find some cheap and juicyones this year. Thanks for sharing the traditional Agedashi Tofu. They look gorgeous and delicious! 😉

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  18. I’m mad about this tofu. So simple yet so delicious. All the ingredients are already here in the cupboard and the fresh ones are definitely in the shops. Yayyy!

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  19. Glad you had a nice weekend, Nami. We did a little better with the sun in our area so my husband and I spent some time outdoors, too. Finally, we have warmer weather!

    Agedashi tofu is one of my favorite dishes to order when in a Japanese restaurant. I keep meaning to try it at home myself but have not gotten around to it. I love the texture of the tofu and allowing it to soak up the flavors of the broth. My local resto serves it topped with bonito flakes, too. Gosh, I might just have this for lunch today. Yum! Yours looks perfect!

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  20. What a great recipe….a perfect appetizer. I love it that you went picking in Brentwood! Since I grew up in the Bay Area, we had a family ritual of going to Brentwood, picking, and then heading home to can and bake. Those cherries must be amazing! You have me craving them now. Oh, I’m finally healthy now! Thank you for all your kind words. 🙂

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  22. It sounds like a perfect day cherry picking. My family lives in Michigan (lots of cherries there) and my sister has made almost everything with cherries, blueberries too. She has a cottage in Traverse City, where they have a huge cherry festival. I remember as a kid driving home from up north stopping at a roadside stand to get a box of black sweet cherries, and finishing them by the time we get home…mmmm. Here in Florida we get all our cherries shipped in, it’s just not the same.

    The agedashi tofu looks simply wonderful! My daughter loves to snack on crispy fried tofu, but soft inside and dipping in ponzu sauce. I will have to try this I know my family will love it.

    I feel the same way about baking! (I leave that to my sister)

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  27. Looks great Nami! Cherry picking sounds like so much fun- hope your family had a good time. I’m trying to get my boyfriend to go to a U-Pick farm with me too. Hopefully we get our act together ASAP!

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  30. Congratulations on your well-deserved award. There will be many more to come your way. Your tofu sounds wonderful and I’m looking forward to seeing what you’ll do with those cherries. I hope you have a great day. Blessings…Mary

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  31. Finally, you’ve posted my absolute favorite Japanese dish of all times! I actually tried frying this tofu yesterday but didn’t refer to a recipe, so you can imagine what a disaster that turned out to be…LOL. I didn’t microwave and coat my tofu in cornstarch and it all stuck to the pan – disastrous! I’m so happy you’ve posted this, because my next try at making this dish will be perfect, Nami :-).

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  32. You know..I dont like tofu 🙁 But I would love to try this sauce with indian cheese [paneer] which is quite similar to tofu in texture. I love anything fried.I m sold on that sauce you made!

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    • Thisishowyadoit

      Try it just once – you’ll be surprised that it really doesn’t taste like tofu. I was certainly amazed and it’s a favourite dish now! 🙂
      Comfort food. Mmmmm!

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  33. Sandy

    Oh, tofu. I absolutely love tofu. I could eat tofu every single day. I will try out this recipe when I find out where to buy daikon. Ughhhh.

    Sandy

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    • Hi Sandy! I’ve seen Daikon in Japanese, Chinese, Korean, and Indian markets before. I’ve seen one in Safeway, Whole Foods, and a high end supermarket too. I think the tag said Daikon Radish. You don’t have to put it if you can’t find. Katsuobushi is also nice addition, but it can be hard to find. You need to go to Japanese or Asian market for this. I’m sorry it’s a little bit complicated…. Good luck searching in your local supermarket. 🙂

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      • Sandy

        Thank you, Nami! Yesterday, I went grocery shopping and found it at my local supermarket, which is kind of high-end store. I could not believe my eyes. There are no Asian markets nearby. 🙁

        Sandy

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        Reply

        • I’m glad you found Daikon! In case you don’t know hat to do with leftover Daikon…. If you like miso soup, it’s a good way to finish up your daikon. Cook in Dashi broth until daikon is translucent and put miso in it. My kids like to drink daikon miso soup next day after being in fridge for over night. They like to drink it cold. 🙂

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  34. YAY!!!!! I love Agedashi tofu and so glad you are sharing the traditional recipe! I also love that you said 75 degree weather felt warm, I remember wearing a light jacket when it was 75 degrees here at Texas, seems like it was so long ago… It’s been around 100 degrees and lack of rain, no complains from me since this means less mosquito! I am hoping your family won’t finish all the cherries so I can get some sort of cherry pastry recipe from you and enjoy the beautiful photos!

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  35. I love tofu, but I’ve not really experimented with it in my own kitchen as I usually just get it when I’m out. This one really has me intrigued… maybe I’ll have to give it a go myself!

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  36. I didn’t know you stay in CA 🙂 which area ??
    I had Tofu only a couple of times and I liked them .. not a big fan though. I have been trying to convince Arvind to try Tofu once again … not working out! Looking at this recipe .. i am getting so tempted.

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  39. Picking the cherries sounds like so much fun. Picking cherries and blackberries is my favorite. I love how stained all the kids get near the end too!

    Loving this tofu recipe. It looks delicious. I’m putting this on my list of food items to create from your blog. Thank you for sharing. You’re fantastic!

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  40. Hi Nami! Do you cut the tofu 1st then microwave or the other way round? Why is there so much water in plate after i microwave the tofu for 3mins? :O

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    • Thanks for the question Lyn! Hmm either way is fine. It’s not that big deal. Microwave dehydrates tofu and without it, tofu has so much water inside. If you don’t dehydrate enough, it’s pretty dangerous when deep frying. 🙂 So make sure to dehydrate and coat well with corn starch! 😉

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      • Tks Nami! But when after I microwaved the tofu, there was so much water being “force out” and my tofu became sort of like more “soggy” and sank down by half(??) and was outta shape! LOL It don’t look like yours, still so firm and in its original shape.. Hope you get what I’m trying to explain.. hee… 😛

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        • Here are two things I am wondering: 1) I forgot which microwave is stronger…Asian one or US one… Maybe you need to reduce microwave time. 2) Did you use regular Tofu (Momen Tofu) too? I think I’d go with reducing microwave time. You don’t have to “cook” it. If you still don’t succeed, then just dehydrate for a longer time and gently wipe tofu with paper towel. Hope this helps…

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          • Hi Nami! Tks for your information! Greatly appreciated. 😀
            Actually I’m not really sure if that’s the Momen Tofu but it’s those in box type for regular cooking (they’ve got 3 types which are for frying, for soup and for deep-fry) I’ll try again and if really can’t, I’ll just stick to using the paper towel and a BIGGER shield when frying. LOL
            Tks so much Nami! 😀

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            • Make sure you coat with corn starch/potato starch well… that will absorb extra water and then coat tofu well that will prevent from splatter. 😉

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      • I_Fortuna

        This is so true as I found out a couple of nights ago. I have often made deep fried tofu dredged in cornstarch but the other night I decided to use a stainless steel pan. I preheated the oil as usual and I put the tofu in. Well, the little cubes shot out like tiny rockets all over my kitchen! Oil spattered everywhere, my fridge, the floor and, of course, all over my new oven! Shielding myself, I managed to turn the heat off and tofu just kept shooting out. Once the oil cooled I removed the tofu that remained and finished cooking it in a different pan. I look back now and laugh, but this could have been very dangerous if my dog or a small child had been in the room let alone an adult. Fortunately, no one got hurt. I forbade hubby from coming in the kitchen so he would not be burned or slip on the oily floor. First thing I did was mop the floor well to prevent slips. Then I served dinner and cleaned up the rest afterward with a microfiber cloth, easy peasy. I have never dehydrated my tofu before. My old oven never got as hot as my new one so that may be why I never had a problem previously. The tip about dehydrating the tofu in the microwave is a great tip and I believe it will prevent another kitchen disaster with rocket tofu. Thank you so much for this great advice!

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        • Thank you for your feedback. 🙂 Tofu has lots of water in it and it’s necessary step to ALWAYS dehydrate before cooking. Only exception is when you eat it raw (Hiyayakko – cold tofu) or put it in miso soup. 🙂 Your disaster story could happen to anyone, and thanks for sharing your experience!

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  41. I think I said this before, but I have never eaten tofu before… I have a lot of catching up to do in the Japanese cuisine department!!!! This dish sounds so good (ohhh I love fried food!) and your presentation is, as always, simple and elegant!!! Great post Nami! <3

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  44. Nami, I love this recipe…easy and so tasty. How interesting that you microwave the tofu to remove the water…I will have to try this method. Looks beautiful.
    Cherry picking…brings me memories of the time when my sin was little.
    Have a great week 🙂

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  47. Hi Nami,

    This is truly one of my favourite Japanese entrees, the others being chawan mushi and also shishamo (pregnant fish – I think!)

    I didn’t realise it’s relatively easy to prepare but I guess it’s the deep-frying that takes a bit of effort. I would definitely do it with the katsuobushi, always great fun watching it move as though it’s alive! 🙂

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  49. Nami, sorry for not visiting you last week as I just came back from Bangkok. Look like you too had a great trip of cherry picking. I always like to order this tofu when take meal in outside Japanese restaurant, look like now i don’t need to do so as I can cook it at home. Thanks for sharing.

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  52. I loved cherry picking as a child. I also loved cherry pit spitting competition, just for fun (I’m actually not competitive at all).

    Very nice tofu dish! I’m still looking for ways to like tofu, we’re not friends yet, but one day maybe, and then I’ll try this. 🙂

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  53. I love agedashi tofu~ though I have yet to make it myself. Perhaps I can manage this? I love the way you make me feel like I can do it so easily 😀

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  54. $1.99 a pound for cherries is a steal! In the grocery store where I shop they are $4.99 a pound. Needless to say they don’t find their way home with me. Your dishes always look so sophisticated and this one is no exception.

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  57. i always get this when i eat out at a jap restaurant- i love it! yours looks gr8, i might try and make my own sometime soon thanks for the recipe!!

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  59. Christine

    I would like to take this to a Potluck, but won’t be able to fry the tofu there. Can this be partially made ahead of time? I would fry the tofu the night before and prepare the sauce. At serving time I would put it together. Do you think it would still be good? Thank you!

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    • Hi Christine! Just like any other deep fried food, if you deep fry ahead of time, it can get soggy. You can use an oven toaster or oven to bake it again right before you serve to make it crispy if that option is available. Otherwise, the batter won’t be as crispy as just out of the deep fryer. But if you don’t mind the texture, you can definitely prepare it ahead of time and pure sauce right before you serve. 🙂

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  62. nic

    OMG having massive pregnancy cravings for agedashi tofu. Unfortunately do not have any of the ingredients to whip it up in the kitchen…sob! So I’m off to the shops tomorrow!
    Btw is the bonito flakes part of the garnish?

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    • Hi Nic! Ohhh thank you for noticing! I’ll edit and add that as garnish at the end too. I hope you will enjoy this recipe! Thank you for writing! 🙂

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  63. S.Matsuda

    Hi Nami,
    This recipe was sooo great!. i made it and hubby was so delighted. Even my family and Friends from Phils and Dubai is asking for the recipe.

    Arigato Gozaimasu! 🙂

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    • Hi Matsuda-san! Yay! I’m glad this recipe worked out for you and your family (even friends!). Thank you so much for your feedback. Arigato~~!

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  64. nic

    Hi.Nami,
    This is so embarrassing! I tried making dashi stock, was puzzled as why the stock wasn’t clear in colour and realised it was dashi miso that I used! Lol

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      • nic

        Hello Nami,
        I asked the shop owner if he has any dashi and was shown a tub with big Dashi word on it! I was gullible and took his word and didn’t even noticed the small print miso on the next line! Anyway I.made the dashi as per your instructions, surprisingly it turned out ok and was still yummy! Lol

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        • Hi Nic! Oh no! I never thought of the owner of (Japanese, Asian?) shop would point at different thing! Now you have a box of miso so you can enjoy making miso soup at home. 😉 Thank you for sharing your story!

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  66. Valerie

    I see you’ve tagged this recipe with ‘vegetarian’ but because it contains dashi and traditionally, the bonito flakes are included, that label is misleading. Fish isn’t vegetarian!

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    • Thank you for your comment, Valerie! This dish can be vegetarian if you don’t garnish bonito flakes on top (in recipe, it says optional for that reason). For dashi, you can use Kombu dashi (vegetarian dashi). Hope that helps! I hope vegetarian also enjoy Agedashi Tofu. 🙂

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  71. Yesterday I was in H-mart and got inspired to try and make this dish-my son and I had it for lunch this week. I…..started asking people in the Japanese food section and fist person I asked was a Japanese chef! Very kindly he explained the process, almost exactly like yours! I understood it better after reading about the different types of dashi as he instructed to boil bonito and water and strain, then use that water for the dish. He did say potato starch was better than corn starch because it ‘flowers’ when fried, which I understood to mean gets texture when fried- before I had spoken with him I had panko in the basket remembering the textue in the restaurant where I had first tried this dish.

    FYI if you can’t easily find potato starch, check out groceries that carry Passover items- this year they should begin stocking up in late Feb. and the beginning of March. Tuesday, April 23rd, the day after the end of Passover it will go on sale for at least half price, and be on clearnace soon afterward. It comes in an air tight canister, like breadcrumbs, so you can buy a couple and they will keep over the year. It also may be found in the gluten-free sections of grocery and health food stores. Bob’s Red Mill makes it.

    My teenagers love it and I could not take them out to dine as often as they’s like to have this for dinner or snack. My son was in the car waiting/studying while I shopped and when he began to text impatiently about how long it was taking, I explained what I was doing- getting this recipe and the ingredients and he texted back O.K.- and stopped complaining!

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    • Hi Esther! Thank you so much for sharing your wonderful story! How interesting that you met a chef in a supermarket. Very lucky. 🙂 Yes, potato starch is a better choice for karaage and agedashi tofu etc. Gets really nice, crispy, airy texture.

      Thank you so much for the GREAT tip on shopping for potato starch!

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  73. donna mikasa

    I didn’t know agedashi tofu was so simple to make, but I’ll bet it’s the dashi that makes the dish!

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    • Hi Donna! Yes, a lot of people don’t want to deep fry, so it’s not commonly cooked at home, I guess? The tsuyu is the key indeed! Each family has different flavor (sweeter or saltier etc) so it’s something we can make it personalized. Thank you for your comment! 🙂

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  77. That’s a really beautiful looking vegetarian dish. I love tofu and cooked in this way is my favourite. It must be full of flavour with that gorgeous sauce. Outstanding presentation as usual, Nami xx

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  79. I still remember when I commented on this post 2 years ago (wow)! And now it even features a video! You are such a hardworking blogger and an inspiration! I have been mostly MIA the past 1.5 years from the blogsphere unfortunately, but I am always in awe everytime I pop in here :)! I have been telling myself to update my blog and make a Frozen themed bento, since my little niece adores Frozen (and I suppose the same with your daughter :)?), but I haven’t done it yet till today 🙁 – maybe in the next couple of days, since I am still wondering how to make this bento ;). Anyway, keep up the wonderful work! If anyone deserves success through blogging, it’s definitey you :)!!

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  80. Nami-san, love your new logo! Your agedashi looks amazing and I so love this dish and now looking forward to making this at home. I have to admit I am not one who like to deep fry as you know you have the mess factor but for this dish it would be totally worth it. Have a super week. Ja Mata, BAM

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  81. Agedashi Tofu is my all-time favorite. I both make it at home and enjoy ordering it when at a Japanese restaurant. The contrast of the crispy outside with the soft inside and the tsuyu that soaks in… yum !
    I just hate frying 🙁

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    • Hi Nolwenn! Yeah frying takes some effort. But for Agedashi Tofu, you can use a frying pan and shallow fry it with less oil. But the kitchen will still become smelly etc though. I prefer deep fried food with clean oil at home, so I just endure half day of smelly house. =P

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  82. Personally, I love tofu as it is but you make everything extra delicious-looking, Nami. So right now…all I want is some agedashi tofu!

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  84. Hi Nami,
    My second son is also crazy about this agedashi tofu too.. He will be so happy if I could cook for him. Now with your video clip and recipe I definitely can do it 🙂
    Between I have cooked your Chicken meatballs recipe, my family loves it! Will share in my blog soon.
    Thank you so much for all your wonderful video clips and recipe 🙂
    mui

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  87. Nami, this looks great. My 11 years old son was just asking me what is tofu and he wants to taste it. I’ve never tried it before and seems that I’ve got a wrong impression from one of my friends that it is not tasty :(. I guess this recipe will appeal to my kid who loves anything friend.

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  94. I love Asian tofu recipes. Chinese and Taiwanese have recipes similar to this, that I absolutely love. So, I`m pretty sure I’ll love this too!

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  95. お母様の美味しい豆腐をたくさん食べている息子さんは確かに元気な子供でしょうね。なみさんの揚げ出し豆腐はちょう美味しいでしょうね。素敵な写真とレシピを拝見するとお腹がすきます！

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  96. The fried tofu looks wonderful! I love this dish and I tried to cook it couple of times, but always end up with broken tofu or not well coated surface. I always use cornstarch, but next time I will try potato starch and see whether it will turn out better.

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  100. Agedashi tofu is one more Japanese dish I have never tasted. It was a big mistake I must repair soon because your beautiful snack looks so tempting, I would exchange it for any meaty one (and I’m a big carnivore!).
    Thank you for one Japanese cooking class I will practice soon.

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  103. I am enjoying all of your Japanese recipes and happy to see a vegetarian option on your recipe! I used to like Agedashi Tofu way back then, but now I want to eat this! I need to look up kombu dashi on your blog to make it. Thank you for all of your hard work putting step-by-step photos on it….you are amazing!

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  104. I’m much more of a tofu fan than Bobby but we both love it fried like this. I know this would be a snack that would be a huge hit in this house! This being your son’s favorite is definitely a huge selling point. 🙂

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  105. Casey

    Probably not traditional Japanese but I added the juice of 1/2 a small lime to the broth for my Agedashi Tofu.
    Delicious!
    Really brightened up the flavor but didn’t mask the other ingredients.

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    • Hi Casey! The addition of lime makes it really refreshing despite this is deep fried tofu! I’m glad you enjoyed this dish. 🙂

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  106. Natalie

    Hi Nami, I attempted to make this yesterday but failed miserably with the deep frying…. well that’s because I had only olive oil at home and didn’t want to waste too much of it for deep frying! So with the stingy oil and poor skills, my agedashi tofu turned out quite a mess. But the sauce and garnishing prettied up the dish and my husband still liked it. Will try with another type of dashi instead of ready made kombu dashi next time! This ready made brand seemed somewhat too salty…but comes in a convenient bottle. Thanks for the recipe!!

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    • Hi Natalie! Sorry to hear it didn’t work out. No, unfortunately, you can’t deep fry with olive oil. It’s much thicker and not appropriate for deep frying Japanese foods (and I think it’s more expensive, too?).

      I’m not sure which dashi (in a bottle) you used, but it’s quite easy to make homemade dashi and sauce for agedashi tofu. Good luck if you try this recipe one more time! 🙂

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  107. vegetarian recipes

    I love your blog.. very nice colors & theme. Did you make this website yourself or
    did you hire someone to do it for you? Plz answer back as I’m looking to design my
    own blog and would like to know where u got this
    from. many thanks

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  108. Sarah

    Hi Nami! I’m also making agedashidofu along with mapo tofu tonight for my daughter’s birthday. I read your intro about you making it for your son and had to comment! Thank you for your wonderful recipes.

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    • Hi Sarah! You’re so sweet! Thank you so much for leaving a kind comment! Happy Birthday to your daughter and I hope she enjoys your wonderful homemade cooking! 🙂 xo

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  109. Judy N

    What kind of fryer are you using? Looks like its small with a hole for the thermostat and stove top. Japanese? It would be great for small portion frying. Love your blog. Thanks.

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  110. Libby Lizarraga

    This recipe is so delicious! I am a tofu lover and from your recipes too.

    I would like to print this recipe but does not allow me.

    Congratulations for your wonderful work.

    Libby

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  111. Adam

    Nami, I tried this recipe tonight along with your recipe for Yaki Udon. Everything went very well, and the Agedashi tofu in particular was delicious! I didn’t have a deep fryer, but I had no trouble frying the tofu in an ordinary frying pan and turning it periodically with tongs. Thank you!

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    • Hi Adam! Thank you for trying Agedashi Tofu and Yaki Udon recipes! I’m happy to hear you liked the recipes. Thank you for your kind feedback. 🙂

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    • Hi Annisa! If you cannot consume any alcohol, I’d suggest to use 2 Tbsp. water (or more dashi) + 2 tsp. sugar for 2 Tbsp. of mirin.

      If you can use sake (or dry sherry or Chinese cooking wine), use 2 Tbsp. of that and 2 tsp. sugar.

      Hope that helps!

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  114. あきら

    ナミさん、こんにちは。あきらです。
    生姜の炊き込みご飯についてなんですが、米の量を2倍にしたら具材や調味料、水なども単純に2倍にすれば大丈夫ですか？

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    • あきらさん、お返事遅くなってごめんなさい！そうですね、お米の量を倍にするのでしたら、やはり具材も倍にした方が、バランスがとれていいと思います（だから調味料も倍に）。新生姜で作ったらもっと美味しいんですけどね〜。気に入ってもらえると嬉しいです。

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  115. Yavanna

    Hi, I was reading your blog for a few months now, and I just wanted to let you know that it’s great, and that I’ve learned so much about Japanese cuisine thanks to you. I’m form Poland and I’ve never eaten many of this dishes before, never even heard about them in most cases. But now, as I’ve always been a huge fan of Asian flavors, many of your recipes became my usual homemade meals that I make every week, my pantry is full of miso paste, mirin, dried kombu and bonito and so on, and my boyfriend loves the food as well (good thing that he loves it, as many of the ingredients are sooo hard to get and expensive in Poland. But I’d rather spend money on food than on clothes and cosmetics ;)). I made this delicious agedashi tofu for a breakfast today, and I just wanted to let you know that when you check the vegetarian and vegan options in the “browse recipes” menu, this one doesn’t show up. I think it must be a mistake, as this recipe is very easy to make into a vegetarian dish, so just wanted to let you know (I was looking for vegetarian recipes for my friend who wanted to come for dinner, hard for me as I never cook vegetarian but your blog was once again a huge help). Anyway, thanks for the recipes and I can’t wait to try the new ones you will post, your blog is awesome and you really changed the way I cook, cheers! 🙂

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    • Hi Yavanna! Thank you so much for writing! I’m so happy to hear you enjoy my blog and thank you for your kind words!

      Japanese food is still a lot mysterious in many countries and people probably think only sushi and tempura are food we eat daily. I’m happy that I could share about my culture and food through blog and someone in the world can read and learn about what we really eat in Japan. 🙂 And the fact that you are cooking Japanese food, so so far away from Japan, is fascinating to me and I’m so happy that I could help you do that in some way. It’s such an amazing world we live in.

      Thank you for letting me know about the vegetarian/vegan option. If I remember correctly, it was categorized as vegetarian/vegan before, but someone who’s vegetarian/vegan told me there is bonito flakes on top and sauce is made with dashi (I then added “kombu dashi for vegetarian” in the recipe). So I took the vegetarian/vegan option…

      I’m not a vegetarian/vegan so I don’t know which search option is more helpful. Is it better that I include recipes that can be easily changed to vegetarian/vegan OR, ONLY vegetarian/vegan recipes… Unless I create another category “could be vegetarian/vegan”…. LOL

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      • Yavanna

        Hi Nami, thanks for your reply, I also think that the world we live in is amazing. In my family people weren’t that much into cooking, so I’ve never cooked with my mom or grandmother and everything I’ve learned about it is thanks to the internet and people like you who share their knowledge (and watching the Australian “Masterchef” online, actually it’s this show that got me hooked on cooking 😀 ). Having internet is like having the biggest cookbook in the world, and it’s great to be able to learn from people that you’ve never even met 🙂

        About the vegetarian/vegan, it’s too bad that english is a bit limited with words describing vegetarian. In polish we have a word “jarosz” that means a person who doesn’t eat meat, but eats fish, and many of the vegetarians here are really jarosz, not vegetarian. Maybe an option for “no meat”? I think it might be helpful for some people who are like jarosz in our country 🙂

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  117. Hannah

    Thank you for the recipe! I tried it today and I expected it to be crispy but all the skin stuck together after I poured the sauce on. Is this what its supposed to be like?

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    • Hi Hannah! All the skin stuck to… where? The potato starch coating is supposed to be stuck to tofu, but maybe you mean something else? Or do you mean stuck to each other?

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  118. JR

    This recipe is excellent! I’ve had agedashi tofu in countless Japanese restaurants and this rivals them all. And, who knew it was so simple to make?! Thanks for another great glimpse into creating fantastic Japanese cuisine. (Your nama chocolate is another great one.)

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    • Hi JR! I’m so happy to hear you tried this recipe and liked it! Yeah a lot of Japanese foods are pretty simple to make. 🙂 I’m glad you like nama chocolate too! Thank you for your kind feedback!

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  119. Christine Pickett

    Thank you so much for sharing this recipe. This is one of my favorite things to order from Japanese restaurants but it is somewhat expensive. I can’t wait to make this at home!

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  120. Julie

    I LOVE this recipe! But I wonder if I am doing something wrong – I use potato starch and soft tofu and the flavor is incredible but the coating gets like glue and sticks to whatever it touches. Is there some way around this? Maybe I’m not frying it long enough?

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    • Hi Julie! When does the coating gets like glue and sticks to whatever it touches? Is it after serving, or while deep frying?

      Was it nice and firm after you deep fried? Like crispy tofu?

      I understand it gets jelly-like texture IF the tofu is soaked in dashi for a long time. The coating is from potato starch so it just absorbs liquid and gets jelly-like.

      But it will take a long time sitting in the dashi to become like that.

      Maybe you put too much potato starch? Maybe your oil wasn’t hot enough?

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  121. Annie

    I made this tonight. I used sweet potato starch on half and tapioca starch on the other half. Tapioca flour came out crispy, but once the sauce touched it the crispy outside became a gelatinous goop. The sweet potato starch was crispy and softens after the sauce was put on top but did not get goopy like tapioca. Thanks Nami! This was delicious! I cannot find a place in my town that makes decent Agedashi Tofu and I cannot get to Gombei in San Jose as often as I would like (I love their version).

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    • Hi Annie! Thank you for trying this recipe, and with both flours! Thanks for your feedback on tapioca starch. Some readers asked me about tapioca starch, but I’ve never used it before. Some says it’s same, but I see that the texture is different. Good to know! Thanks for your kind feedback. I’ve never tried Gombei before. I’ll remember for next time!

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