What is your favorite appetizer when you dine at a Japanese restaurant? Many JOC readers told me that they love ordering Agedashi Tofu (揚げ出し豆腐). Served in a sweet-savory broth, these lightly fried crispy tofu have an airy crunch and melt-in-your-mouth texture. So good that you wish you could eat the entire bowl yourself! Agedashi tofu is actually not difficult to make if you don’t mind frying. I’ll show you a foolproof method on how to make this popular Japanese appetizer at home!
What is Agedashi Tofu?
Agedashi tofu, or what we call agedashi dofu (揚げ出し豆腐) in Japan, is made of soft or medium-firm tofu coated with potato starch and deep-fried so that the outer shell is crispy and the inside is smooth and custardy. Right before serving, a warm tsuyu (sauce) is poured over the tofu to render an irresistibly umami flavor with a touch of sweetness. It is then garnished with a variety of toppings such as grated daikon, katsuobushi (bonito flakes), scallion, and grated ginger. For a spicy kick, you can sprinkle it with a light dusting of shichimi togarashi. Served piping hot, agedashi tofu is arguably one of the most amazing tofu dishes one can ever have!
How to Make Agedashi Tofu
Ingredients You’ll Need
Medium-firm tofu (momen dofu) or soft tofu (kinugoshi dofu) – If you’re new to making this dish, start with medium-firm tofu as it’s easier to handle. Potato starch – Please try getting potato starch instead of cornstarch (read more below). Cooking oil for deep-frying or shallow-frying. Tsuyu sauce: dashi (or use vegan-friendly kombu dashi), mirin, and soy sauce. Garnish: daikon radish, green onion, ginger, and katsuobushi (dried bonito flakes).
Overview: Cooking Steps
How to Press Tofu
As you know, you can press tofu with a heavy object like a pot filled with water. However, I wanted to speed up the pressing time and make it more compact when doing this process, so I tried Tofuture Tofu Press and I wish I had gotten it sooner. It’s one of the best tofu presses because it’s easy to use and doesn’t take up much space.
Know the Differences: Potato Starch vs. Cornstarch
In Japan, agedashi tofu is always made with potato starch or katakuriko (片栗粉). I’ve tried making agedashi tofu with cornstarch before and you definitely can use cornstarch. However, the texture is slightly different and a JOC reader once said it was very difficult to deep fry the tofu coated with cornstarch. Since cornstarch particles are much finer than potato starch, the coating just disappears as soon as the tofu is added to the deep-frying oil. Another bonus is when we use potato starch to thicken the sauce, the color of the sauce doesn’t get altered by the potato starch as opposed to cornstarch that tends to leave its whitish crumbs. So… it’s up to you. I buy potato starch from Bob’s Red Mill or a Japanese brand of potato starch from Japanese/Asian grocery stores
5 Important Cooking Tips
Drain medium-firm tofu for 15 minutes, not too long, if you want a tender, soft tofu texture on the inside. Use potato starch if you really want to achieve the best texture. Coat the tofu with potato starch right before deep-frying. Don’t let it sit after you apply potato starch as the moisture coming out from the tofu will make the coating soggy and the crust may come off. Deep-fry at a lower temperature, about 320-340ºF (160-170ºC) degrees. Tofu contains a lot of moisture; therefore; it’s not recommended to deep-fry at high temperatures. Deep-fry in batches, so the tofu pieces don’t stick to each other.
Topping Choices for Agedashi Tofu
You can pick your favorites from the list below. Either prepare all of them or make it a fun topping bar.
Grated daikon Chopped green onions/scallions Grated ginger Katsuobushi (dried bonito flakes) Shredded nori seaweed (kizami nori) Shichimi Togarashi (Japanese seven spice) Deep-fried lotus root chips Deep-fried shishito peppers Deep-fried eggplant (similar cooking method as this recipe)
How to Make It Vegan
You can easily make it vegan:
Use kombu dashi. Skip katsuobushi (dried bonito flakes) and substitute it with shredded nori for topping
If you enjoy making my agedashi tofu recipe at home, give us a rating or leave a comment to share your experience below!
More Popular Tofu Recipes on JOC
Mapo Tofu Pan-Fried Teriyaki Tofu Bowl Green Bean Shiraae (Mashed Tofu Salad) Creamy Miso Pasta with Tofu and Asparagus Tofu Pizza
Wish to learn more about Japanese cooking? Sign up for our free newsletter to receive cooking tips & recipe updates! And stay in touch with me on Facebook, Pinterest, YouTube, and Instagram. Editor’s Note: This post was originally published on June 13, 2011. A video and updated images were added on April 30, 2014. The post has been updated with new images and content on June 28, 2022.
