Japanese vegan recipe: Agedashi Tofu

Agedashi Tofu（揚げだし豆腐）is Deep fried Tofu, dipped in dashi soup.

It's an easy typical dish for the Japanese, and while it is high in protein, it is low in calories.

As an vegan food or just an alternative to meat, it will help you to stay healthy.

Today we introduced a recipe on how to cook Agedashi Tofu.

How to make Agedashi Deep Fried Tofu

Ingredients

• Tofu (kinu)...300g

• Flour...2~3 spoons

• mentsuyu straight...300cc

• potato starch...1 teaspoon

• green onions...preferred amount

Instructions

1. Take a kitchen paper to wrap the tofu, and dry the excess water.
2. Cut the tofu in quarters. Thinly coat it with flour.
3. Heat cooking oil on a small frying pan and fry each side.
4. Heat another pan with mentsuyu and potato starch, and have a slimey kind of sauce.
5. Put 4 over 3, and add a pinch of green onions to garnish.

※If you don't have mentsuyu an alternative could be:

Mix the below seasoning and heat in the microwave for 1 minute.

*If you are vegan and can't use powder dashi, use konbu dashi or shiitake dashi.

• water...200cc
• soy sauce...2 spoons
• mirin...2 spoons
• powder dashi...1 teaspoon

The Difference of kinu絹 tofu and momen木綿 tofu

Tofu mainly has Kinugoshi tofu and momen tofu, and we suggest using kinu.

The 2 tofu has differences in the making process.

Kinu is mixing soy milk（豆乳） and nigari（にがり）bittern, and solidifying it.

It contains more moisture, and has a smoother texture.

Momen is the same ingredients but after solidifying it you would break that to put in a container, put a weight on top to make it more dense. This helps the moist and the fat of the tofu and you would have a more concentrated tasting tofu.

The Kansai people in West Japan typically use kinu tofu, to enjoy the delicate taste but also smooth texture of the tofu. But please try both and see which one you prefer!

Health notes of tofu

Tofu comes from soy, so it covers the easy to lack vitamin and minerals for the Japanese. It's also a very good protein. Especially for vegans who do not eat meat nor eggs, tofu is an extremely good alternative.

The isoflavone included in soy is reserached to be very close to the female hormone estrogen, so it helps the ladies to balance out their unique conditions. Those who are wanting solutions may talk to their doctor whether it might be a good idea for symptoms like Menopause or rough skin.

Integrate tofu to your diet

Tofu is such a convenient dish where you can eat it by itslef. But with one small touch and frying it, you get this extra crunchy texture on the outside, and avoids you from getting hungry after.

Japan has numerous recipes using tofu, too. The monks that eat shojin cusine would be very creative in using everyday tofu recipes but exempts them from getting bored of it.

Stay tuned for more healthy but tasty tofu recipes!

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In this blog, I post my food trips around the world, as insights into Japanese food in comparison to all the different cuisines I encounter through my trips. I have traveled to many places in Japan, so I will be sharing what I know to better plan your trip to my home country, Japan!
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