A delicious side dish or appetizer, this Agedashi Tofu recipe comes together quickly with only a few pantry staples. Crispy fried tofu coated in a savoury, umami-filled sauce, this tofu recipe comes together easily in a few simple steps.
Airy and crunchy, with a soft interior, this agedashi tofu is going to be your new favourite way to make tofu! It is pretty easy to make and doesn’t take a lot of work. Simply coat diced tofu with some potato starch and pan-fry them until crispy! The sauce is also super simple as all you have to do is combine a few pantry items with some water and simmer it.
You might recognize these crispy bites of tofu from izakaya and Japanese restaurants but with only a few simple ingredients, you can make it at home! I honestly love how simple this recipe is while still being loaded with flavours. I could eat it every day and not get sick of it.
Ingredients You’ll Need
- tofu — I use firm tofu. I find it easier to work with as it doesn’t break apart as easily as I can be a little rough when tossing it in the starch.
- mirin — mirin is a Japanese sweet rice wine, if you are unable to find it, you can try rice vinegar with extra honey.
- soy sauce — I prefer light soy sauce for the sauce.
- dried bonito — I use this hondashi for the base of the sauce.
- potato starch — while I prefer the crispy airy exterior you get with potato starch, you can use cornstarch if you do not have any in your pantry.
- oil — any neutral oil is fine for frying. You don’t need a lot, I usually use between 1 to 2 tablespoons.
How to Make Agedashi Tofu
- Press the tofu and set it aside for 10 to 15 minutes. See my post on how to press tofu if you need some tips.
- Meanwhile, to a saucepan over medium heat, add water, mirin, soy sauce, and the hondashi. Bring it up to a simmer and let it simmer on low heat for 5 minutes before setting it aside.
- Dice the tofu into approximately 1 inch cubes.
- Generously coat the tofu with potata starch.
- In a large skillet over medium heat, heat up the oil.
- Add the tofu into the skillet and pan fry them for approximately 2 to 3 minutes per side, or until they’re lightly golden.
- Serve the tofu with spoonfuls of the sauce poured over top.
Recipe Tips and Notes
- Feel free to dice the tofu block larger or smaller, simply adjust the frying time.
- You can add a pinch of sugar to the sauce if you want it a little sweeter.
- Feel free to double the amount of tofu! There’s enough sauce for two blocks of tofu. I like to make extra so I can drizzle some over my rice when I eat it.
- Add a sprinkle of shichimi togarashi over the tofu before serving for a slightly spicy kick.
- I usually just top of my agedashi tofu with some sliced scallions but dried bonito flakes are great as well!
I love make-ahead meals! If you want to make this dish ahead of time, I suggest storing the sauce and tofu separately. I usually put half of the tofu into an airtight glass container and the sauce into a mason jar if I know I cannot finish all of it. Once the tofu is combined with the sauce, it will start getting soggy so leftovers can be hard to store. To reheat, I air fry the tofu cubes to keep them crispy. I use the sauce straight from the fridge.
In Japanese, “age” translates to fried, and “dashi” is referring to the dashi stock. So agedashi roughly translates to fried in dashi stock.
For sure. If you want to deep fry the tofu cubes instead of pan-fry, by all means, go for it. I just don’t want to get a pot of oil going for such a small amount of tofu. However, if you’re doubling or tripling the recipe, it’ll be worth the effort.
Agedashi Tofu
Ingredients
- 1 block tofu, firm
- 1 cup water
- 2 tbsp mirin
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tbsp hondashi
- 1 cup potato starch
- 1-2 tbsp oil
Equipment
- Large skillet
Instructions
- Press the tofu and set it aside for 10 to 15 minutes.
- Meanwhile, to a saucepan over medium heat, add water, mirin, soy sauce, and the hondashi. Bring it up to a simmer and let it simmer on low heat for 5 minutes before setting it aside.
- Dice the tofu into approximately 1 inch cubes.
- Generously coat the tofu with potato starch.
- In a large skillet over medium heat, heat up the oil.
- Add the tofu into the skillet and pan fry them for approximately 2 to 3 minutes per side, or until they’re lightly golden.
- Serve the tofu with spoonfuls of the sauce poured over top.
Nutrition Per Serving
More Japanese Recipes to Try
- Tempura Udon
- Yaki Udon
- Soboro Don (Ground Chicken Bowl)
- Teriyaki Chicken Wings
- Teriyaki Chicken Thighs
- Teriyaki Salmon Bowl
- Curry Udon
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