Agedashi Tofu

Course: Appetizer

Cuisine: Japanese

Keyword: deep fried, tofu

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes

Servings: 3

Author: Namiko Chen

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.

Ingredients

1 block medium-firm tofu (1 block = 14 oz) (or soft tofu, see Notes)
4 Tbsp potato starch/cornstarch
3-4 cups neutral-flavored oil (vegetable, canola, etc)

Sauce:

1 cup dashi (Japanese soup stock; click to learn more) (use kombu dashi for vegetarian/vegan)
2 Tbsp soy sauce
2 Tbsp mirin

Toppings:

1 daikon radish (1 daikon = 2.5 cm)
1 green onion/scallion
Katsuobushi (dried bonito flakes) (optional, and skip if vegetarian)
Shichimi Togarashi (Japanese seven spice) (optional)

Instructions

Gather all the ingredients.
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.
Peel and grate the daikon and gently squeeze water out. Cut the green onion into thin slices.
Put dashi, soy sauce, and mirin in a small saucepan and bring to boil. Turn off the heat and set aside.
Remove the tofu from paper towels and cut it into 8 pieces.
Heat the oil to 350F (175C) in a deep fryer or medium saucepan. Coat the tofu with potato starch, leaving excess flour, and immediately deep fry until they turn light brown and crispy.
Remove the tofu and drain excess oil on a plate lined with paper towels or wire rack.
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.

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.