I’m always looking for nutritious, balanced, and tasty meals that I can get on the table quickly on a weeknight. One dish that fits the bill is Simmered Ganmodoki (がんもどきの含め煮), or Japanese deep-fried tofu patties gently cooked in a simple yet savory broth. As working parents with schedule-packed teenagers, we rely on meal-prep and freezer-friendly ingredients. Ganmodoki are readily available in Japanese markets; they are also easy to make from scratch and freeze for future meals like this! My whole family loves this light and savory dish. I hope you will give it a try, too!
What is Ganmodoki
Ganmodoki (がんもどき) are deep-fried tofu patties originally invented as a dish in Japanese Buddhist vegan cuisine known as shojin ryori (精進料理). It was said to taste like goose and thus named gan (goose) + modoki (pseudo). Fast forward to today, these delicious bean curd fritters are gaining popularity worldwide as a protein-rich food favored by vegetarians and vegans. It all starts with a pack of medium-firm tofu (firm is too tough) that’s pressed, mashed, and mixed with colorful minced vegetables and seaweed. It binds together without cornstarch, using either beaten eggs or vegan mountain yam (nagaimo or yamaimo) that you peel and grate. The tofu mixture is formed into small patties, then deep-fried until golden brown. You may have tried making my recipe for homemade ganmodoki. They taste so fresh and delicious made from scratch, with a pleasant texture that can’t be beat! You can read my Ganmodoki blog post to learn more about them. Whether homemade or store-bought, these tofu patties are incredibly convenient and versatile, as they freeze well and are meal-prep friendly. Serve them hot dipped in a bowl of soy sauce with grated ginger or pack them in a bento lunchbox. They’re also a nutritious addition to nimono (simmered foods) like Simmered Ganmodoki.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
Cooked in an umami dashi-based broth, simmered ganmodoki is both light and satisfying. This recipe is:
Quick — Ready in 35 minutes using store-bought or frozen homemade patties. Easy — Parboil the tofu patties and simmer in dashi broth. It couldn’t be simpler! Nutritious — They’re chock-full of protein, vegetables, and sea vegetables. I added minced carrots, edamame beans, shiitake mushrooms, and hijiki seaweed in my recipe. You could also use burdock root, lotus root, green beans, wood ear mushrooms, kombu strips, and black sesame seeds.
Ingredients for Simmered Ganmodoki
You’ll need tofu patties, Japanese soup stock, and a few pantry ingredients for the simmering broth:
Ganmodoki: Buy them at a Japanese market or make them from scratch. I love using frozen homemade ganmodoki, which you can cook directly from frozen without thawing first! Dashi: Japanese soup stock provides the umami backbone to this dish. Make standard Awase Dashi ahead of time, or use a convenient dashi packet to save time. You can substitute Vegan Dashi for vegan/vegetarian. I don’t recommend dashi powder (see why below). Soy Sauce, Mirin, Sugar, and Salt: These pantry ingredients adds seasoning and balance to the broth. You only need about a pinch or tablespoon of each. Komatsuna: You need just 1 oz of this green vegetable to give the dish a pop of color and additional nutrients. If you can’t find it, substitute spinach, bok choy, or your favorite green vegetable.
How to Make Simmered Ganmodoki
Substitution Tips and Variations
You can adapt this recipe to experiment with other ingredients as well.
Any ingredient suitable for simmering will work here. For a protein-forward dish, try atsuage (deep-fried tofu), Japanese fish cakes and fish balls (nerimono 練り物) from an oden set, or even hard-boiled eggs. Plant-based options include daikon radish, konnyaku (konjac jelly cake), kombu, or mochi-filled fried tofu pouches. While I used komatsuna, you can choose any green vegetable that you like. Try another leafy green vegetable like spinach or bok choy. Depending on what’s in season, you could use green beans, snow peas, snap peas, asparagus, or broccoli florets. Make sure to blanch the vegetables until crisp-tender. Substitute lemon zest as a garnish if you don’t have yuzu zest.
Recipe Tips and Techniques
Use really good dashi. I can’t stress this enough! Dashi is the key to the simmering broth’s delicious flavor, so good quality is crucial. You can make standard Awase Dashi (with kombu and katsuobushi) using a convenient dashi packet in 3 minutes or from scratch in 20 minutes. Vegans and vegetarians can make a shiitake and kombu Vegan Dashi in 30 minutes. Dashi powder does not produce the quality of dashi needed and is unsuitable here. Prepare cold brew dashi in advance. Consider making cold brew dashi for great flavor and convenience. A long, gentle steeping time actually extracts the most flavor. The prep is super easy with mostly inactive time. Steep your batch of cold brew Vegan Dashi and Awase Dashi on the counter for 2-3 hours in the summertime and 4–5 hours in the wintertime. It keeps for 3–5 days in the refrigerator, and you can use the leftover dashi in other recipes. Use the same boiling water to blanch the komatsuna and parboil the ganmodoki. Cool the ganmodoki in the broth. For deeper umami, turn off the heat after simmering and let it cool on the countertop. This allows the patties soak up the delicious dashi flavors!
How to Store
To Refrigerate: Let cool completely. Keep it in an airtight container and store it in the refrigerator for up to 3 days or in the freezer for up to a month. Do not freeze previously frozen ganmodoki. To Reheat. For the best results, gently reheat the leftover simmered ganmodoki on the stovetop or microwave, but do not overcook it.
What to Serve with Simmered Ganmodoki
Rice — Hijiki Rice, Sweet Potato Rice, or Corn Rice Soup — Cabbage and Onsen Tamago Miso Soup Salad — Japanese Spinach Salad with Sesame Dressing (Gomaae) Sides — Pounded Burdock Root with Sesame Sauce (Tataki Gobo)
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.
