It’s compilation on the tofu topic…I add data regularly.
3 main tofu textures :
You have Japanese tofu that is :
kinu-dofu, silky tofu
momen-dofu, cotton tofu (translated as *firm tofu* in English)
Both are soft and watery. The first is very soft like egg pudding, the second is soft like starch pudding.
Really firm and dry tofu, the one that has a texture closer to meat is popular in China. It’s uncommon in Japan, except ….Bottom line : If you like firm tofu…
Tag Archives: agedofu
Ryori, a Japanese classic menu… (compilation by cooking techniques)
Quick list of Japanese “classics” to help you navigate on this site. That’s not complete at all. I tried to make it representative. I often make them with a twist, but I tell you in the post.
Short memo about the Japanese meal
-all dishes are brought at the same time, ideally served in individual dishes, one plate per item.
-there is rice + soup + three items. Or more.
The items, called okazu tend to be side-dish sized. On the menu in restaurants, traditional style was to present the okazu by cooking technique.
ONE :
GOHAN, rice
rice cuisine list ***** sushi list
and ONE :
吸い物,SUIMONO
A soup to drink !
DASHI (basic stock tutorial)
vegan dashi tuto
misoshiru (miso soup, in many posts)
shijimi miso soup
clear soup
O-zoni New Year soup
sake kasu Winter white soup
And THREE, FOUR, FIVE… many :
OKAZU LIST
お造り o-tsukuri
Normally, that’s a term for seafood sashimi, raw seafood. I don’t *cook* it of course.
scallop sashimi
calamari sashimi noodles
hamo no aburi (flamed sashimi)
hiya yakko (chilled tofu cubes)
konnyaku faux-sashimi
和え物,aemono
Cold dish with sauce.
shira-ae veggies
goma-ae kogomi (sesame fiddle heads)
snappy beans and shrimps in kimizu-ae (yolk sauce)
蒸し物, mushimono
Steamed.
egg tofu
dobin mushi (steamed soup)
okowa kabocha (steamed pumpkin with rice)
steamed scallop
御浸し, o-hitashi
Blanched.
mustard green o-hitashi
green leaf maki
reishabu (poached meat)
揚げ物 agemono
Fried dishes.
tempura (tutorial)
kakiage (mixed tempura)
karaage fish
agedofu, fried tofu DIY
kaki-furai (fried oysters)
焼き物, yakimono
Grilled dishes.
shioyaki (salt grilled fish)
kabayaki conger eel
yakiniku, beef BBQ
yakitori (chicken skewers)
teriyaki chicken(the “real” thing, recipe)
teriyaki fish
miso yaki chicken
miso yaki fish
dengaku (skewers)
鉄板焼き,teppanyaki
Grilled on the hot plate.
Beef liver teppanyaki
okonomiyaki (compilation)
ika-yaki (calamari)
煮物, nimono
Simmered.
pumpkin kabocha no nitsuke
kakuni (pork)
beef shigure
buri daikon (fish and radish)
炒め物 itamemono
Stir-fried.
champuru (Okinawan scramble)
kinpira
漬物, tsukemono
pickles
wasabi leaf tsukemono
daikon radish leave tsukemono
dashi’t, Obanazawa pickle
pink lotus root tsukemono
酢の物, sunomono
Quick vinegar pickles. Salads with lots of vinegar.
potato sarada
daikon ume sarada
kabocha sarada
Save my skin !
Steamed kabocha skin. All that !
Throw away ? No way !
It is edible, super healthy. Even better, it’s very tasty.
I’ve used a lot of kabocha pumpkin flesh. I took away the green skin as the color is not so bright.
The skin is cut and sprinkled with lemon juice. Let overnight in the fridge.
With lettuce, cucumber and fried tofu.
Tofu and faux tofu
It’s compilation on the tofu topic…
Tofu is soy milk curded with nigari. But some other products not based on soy milk are called tofu because of their texture and appearance.
Tofu ? dofu ? toufu ? doufu ? The only proper spelling is 豆腐. It’s a matter of transcription. The “t” tends to become a “d” in second part of words in Japanese. And in Chinese it’s written “d” and you read “t”. And the “o” is long.
Choosing tofu :
There are huge differences of quality. It can be delicious or absolutely terrible. I wouldn’t want to eat again in this life time all the weirdly packaged tofus I have eaten in Europe and North-America. Maybe I had bad luck. Also in the US, the soy is GMO.
The second thing is you have to buy the right type.
Most Westerners don’t really understand the different types, and I’ve been there too. So maybe this can help. It’s a simplification, but start here :
3 main tofu textures :
You have Japanese tofu that is :
kinu-dofu, silky tofu
momen-dofu, cotton tofu (translated as *firm tofu* in English)
Both are soft and watery. The first is very soft like egg pudding, the second is soft like starch pudding.
Really firm and dry tofu, the one that has a texture closer to meat is popular in China. It’s uncommon in Japan, except in Okinawa, were Japanese and Chinese traditions cross their path. So here it is called 島豆腐 shima tofu, “island tofu“, and in Osaka, I have to buy in “ethnic stores”.
The 3 are made with different recipes.
Bottom line : If you like soft tofu, buy it from a Japanese maker (well, a maker making ingredients for Japanese cuisine as of course it’s not a question of nationality). If you like firm tofu, buy it from a Chinese or an Okinawan maker. Other Asian countries tend to make the firm varieties traditionally.
Gourmande’s home-made tofu :
Basic recipe :
ultra fresh torori tofu (from soy milk and nigari)
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Gourmande’s home-made faux tofu
home-made sesame tofu (gomadofu)
yellow tofu or Shan tofu (from chick pea)
edamame tofu (from green soy beans)
Tofu bought in Osaka :
It’s a small sample. I can find many sorts. There are 3 tofu makers just in my street…
kinu-dofu (silky tofu)
momen-dofu (cotton tofu)
koya-dofu (freeze dry tofu)
abura-age (usu-age type, fried sheets of tofu)
goma dofu (sesame flavored soy milk tofu)
goma dofu (sesame tofu, not a real tofu)
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RECIPES WITH TOFU
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yudofu (Kyoto boiled tofu, hot pot)
mabo dofu (Sichuan style, several recipes)
inari sushi (in abura age pockets)
champuru (Okinawan tofu with scramble egg)
chigae (Korean spicy tofu soup)
u no hana (tofu fibers in tabouleh)
Tofu can also be an ingredient for desserts.
Agedofu, simple fried tofu, the easy way
Crispy around, creamy inside, bathing in its sweet soup… it’s a Japanese cuisine classic.
We can buy it fried in all supermarkets here, and reheat. That’s not the same. Frying yours is much more delicious.
It can be done with softer silky tofu, but semi-firm and firm cotton tofu (momen dofu) is easier to manipulate with this recipe.
Do it in 2 times : put tofu to drain and start the soup. Then, after 30 minutes, you need 5 minutes to do the rest.
Prepare the tofu :
Place the whole block (I used half) on a plate, cover with a second plate, and put a can of 1kg or a pot on the cover. After 15 minutes, discard the water that got out of the tofu. Let it 15 more minutes.
Cut cubes of 3 cm. Prepare a saucer with katakuriko (potato starch) or corn starch.
Fry the tofu
In a small thick bottom pan, heat 5 millimiters of oil. Coat each cube of tofu in the starch. Put them in the pan. Then turn them in turn. When you’ve done the 6 sides, it’s OK. Place the cubes on a grill covered with 1 layer of kitchen paper. Turn them too to absorb excess oil. You can keep hot a few minutes in oven-toaster at 120 degrees.
Tsuyu soup :
Bring fish flakes (I take a mix) and water to a boil. Simmer 5 minutes on low heat. Let sit 30 minutes. Add soy sauce, salt and mirin (or honey if you don’t have any) to taste, reheat together.
Pour the soup around the hot fried tofu. Garnish with negi leeks and shichimi (7 spice mix). Serve at once !
2 cubes is a very small serving. You’ll see another recipe soon…
GOURMANDE in OSAKA 