jadesfood
Agedashi tofu is a traditional Japanese dish made by deep frying tofu coated with potato starch or flour and served in a dashi broth which usually involves fish to enhance the umami flavour. The warm silky tofu is soaked in the dashi broth but is still crispy, so yummy! Then I thought why don’t I make a vegan version for those who love animals? This recipe uses Syojin dashi (Zen broth) and it is so easy to make!
What is Agedashi Tofu?
Agedashi tofu is a popular appetizer in Japanese restaurants or even in home cooking. It is made with either silken tofu or medium-firm tofu coated with potato starch or flour, then deep-fried to get the outside of it crispy. The most important part of the dish is to soak the fried tofu in dashi broth which is usually made by infusing katuobushi (dried fish flakes) and kombu (dried kelp) into water. Finally, it is topped with some chopped green onion and served immediately.
In this recipe, I use shojin dashi (Zen broth) which is commonly used in Zen cooking by monks. It requires dried shiitake mushrooms and dried kelp, so it involves no animal products at all but is just as good as the original one!
Ingredients You will Need
For the Deep Fried Tofu
Tofu – Medium firm tofu or silken tofu is the best for making agedashi tofu.
Potato Starch – Potato starch makes your deep-fried tofu lighter. Corn starch works well too.
Oil – Flavourless oil is best for deep frying tofu such as sunflower oil, canola oil, and peanut oil.
For the Dashi Broth
Vegan Dashi Stock – You can make vegan dashi by infusing dried shiitake mushroom and dried kelp but store-bought one is fine as well.
Soy Sauce – Usukuchi syoyu is best for the dashi but koikuchi syoyu which is more common Japanese soy sauce works perfectly.
Mirin – If you don’t have mirin, mix 1 tbsp of sake or white wine and 1 tsp of sugar to make a substitute.
Step-by-Step Guide
For the Vegan Dashi
Put vegan dashi stock, soy sauce, and mirin in a saucepan and turn on the heat to medium-low. Heat it until warm and set aside.
For the Deep Fried Tofu
1 Cut your tofu into pieces like in the photo below. You can make it smaller or bigger if you want. Pat dry the tofu pieces with a paper towel but do not press the moisture out.
2 Pour some oil into a frying pan to 1-2cm and heat it to 160-170C (320-338F). Meanwhile, put some potato starch on a plate and coat the tofu pieces with the starch.
3 Fry the tofu as soon as you coat it with starch otherwise the starch will absorb the moisture of the tofu and come off.
4 Fry the tofu pieces until all the sides of them become crispy. This will take about 3-5 minutes. If you are doing shallow frying like me, change the position of the tofu as you fry it like in the photo below.
5 Once your tofu has deep fried, transfer it to a bowl or plate and pour some warmed dashi. Sprinkle chopped green onion on top and serve immediately.
Tips for Making Agedashi Tofu
Do not press your tofu the dried tofu needs to have
some moisture inside, so if you press the water out of the tofu, the texture would be different.
Fry the tofu as soon as you coat the tofu
Fry the tofu as soon as you coat it with starch otherwise the starch will absorb the moisture of the tofu and will come off.
Change the position of the tofu pieces as you fry them
If you use little oil to fry the tofu, turn over the tofu pieces and make sure to get the crispy coating all the way through.
Q & A
Can I use firm tofu to make my Agedashi tofu?
I don’t recommend using firm tofu for this recipe because the moisture and softness of tofu are the key to making the perfect texture of Agedashi tofu which is crispy outside and silky and smooth inside.
Can I make my Agedashi tofu a day ahead?
I can’t say that it is a good idea to make Agedashi tofu a day ahead. The fried tofu is likely to become less crispy.
Can I freeze Agedashi tofu?
No, you can’t freeze tofu because its consistency becomes spongy which is not a good type of tofu for making Agedashi tofu.
More Zen Recipes
Deep Fried Tofu Balls (Ganmodoki)
Potato Tempura With Sweet Miso Sauce
Vegan Agedashi Tofu (揚げ出し豆腐)
Equipment
- 1 Frying pan
- 1 Saucepan
Ingredients
For the Deep Fried Tofu
- 400 g Tofu Medium firm Tofu or Silken Tofu
- some Potato Starch
- some Oil
For the Dashi Broth
- 200 ml Vegan Dashi Stock (The recipe is below) You can use store-bought one
- 50 ml Soy Sauce
- 1 tbsp Mirin If you don't have mirin, 1 tbsp Sake or White wine + Sugar works too.
Instructions
For the Vegan Dashi
- Put vegan dashi stock, soy sauce, and mirin in a saucepan and turn on the heat to medium low. Heat it until warm and set aside.
For the Deep Fried Tofu
- Cut your tofu into pieces like in the photo below. You can make it smaller or bigger if you want. Pat dry the tofu pieces with a paper towel but do not press the moisture out.
- Pour some oil into a frying pan to 1-2cm and heat it to 160-170C (320-338F). Meanwhile, put some potato starch on a plate and coat the tofu pieces with the stacrh.
- Fry the tofu as soon as you coat it with starch otherwise the starch will absorb the moisture of the tofu and will come off.
- Fry the tofu pieces until all the sides of them become crispy. This will take about 3-5 minutes. If you are doing shallow frying like me, change the positions of them like in the photo below.
- Once your tofu has deep fried, transfer it to a bowl or plate and pour some warmed dashi. Sprinkle chopped green onion on top and serve immediately.
Notes
- You can use flour if you really want to use it for coating your tofu but the texture will differ from the one coated with starch.
- Other options for the garnish are grated ginger and grated raw daikon radish. They are very traditional garnishes for Agedashi tofu.
- If you are not bothered to make dashi, simply pour some soy sauce on the fried tofu which is great too.
How can I make Vegan Dashi?
Here is how to make vegan dashi by yourself. You can use a store-bought one if you want. Make sure to check the ingredients of it because some products have salt in them, if it does, reduce the amount of say sauce you use in your Dashi.
How to Make Kelp and Mushroom Dashi (Japanese vegan stock)
Equipment
- 1 Large Bottle 1L
- 1 Sieve
Materials
- 10 g Kombu (Dried Kelp)
- 15 g Dried Shiitake Mushrooms
- 1 l Water
Instructions
- Put kombu and dried mushrooms in a large bottle, then pour the water in. Leave the bottle in the fridge overnight or for 12 hours.
- After 12 hours, strain the kombu and shiitake with a sieve. You can pour the dashi back into the same bottle and store it in the fridge for up to 3-4 days. If you don't use it straight away, put it in an airtight container and freeze it.
