Agedashi tofu
揚げ出し豆腐
Lightly fried tofu in a hot dashi-soy broth — crisp for a minute, then silky, which is the point.
Recipe by I Want Some Food · Reviewed by the editorial kitchen. Native name preserved: 揚げ出し豆腐.
0 people cooked this in the public kitchen yet. Kitchen-tested by I Want Some Food. Not a purchased rating.
- Prep
- 15 min
- Cook
- 10 min
- Rest
- None
- Total
- 25 min
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Spice
- No chilli
- Cost
- Cheap nightUnder $8 USD · indicative, not a store price
About
Agedashi is tofu dusted in starch, fried, and drowned on purpose in a hot tentsuyu. The crust gives way. You eat it with grated daikon and spring onion. If you wanted tofu that stays crunchy, you wanted a different dish. Press the tofu or the crust never forms and the oil erupts. Pat it dry, coat just before frying, and knock off excess starch — a thick paste jacket turns gummy in the broth. The tentsuyu should be hot when it hits the fried pieces, not boiling so hard it strips the crust in seconds. If you only have firm tofu, it still works; silken is a higher-wire act. Drain briefly. Over-fried cubes taste of oil and disappointment. Grate the daikon fresh or it weeps into a sad puddle.
Ingredients
- Tofu, firm, pressed 15 minutes, cubed300 g
- Potato or corn starch, potato starch if you have it59 ml
- Dashi200 ml
- Soy sauce30 ml
- Korean rice wine15 ml
- Korean radish, grated daikon (optional)80 g
- Katsuobushi (optional)2 g
- Neutral oil, for frying300 ml
Scaling multiplies the written quantities. Baking still prefers a scale.
Steps
Step 1
Simmer dashi, soy and rice wine. Keep hot.
3 minStep 2
Dust tofu in starch. Fry in 170°C oil until the coat is pale and crisp, 2–3 minutes. Drain.
6 minStep 3
Bowls, tofu, hot broth, daikon, spring onion, flakes. Serve at once.
Adapt this recipe
The canonical recipe stays intact. Personal versions are labelled. Serving changes are maths, not AI.
Adaptations · 0 / 15 used. Resets 10 October.
Substitutions
Potato starch → Cornflour
Slightly less shatter, still a coat.
Tips
- Pressing the tofu is the difference between crisp and spitting oil.
- Too much broth turns it into soup. A ladle, not a swimming pool.
History & culture
Izakaya first plates and home starters. It is how you show tofu some heat without turning it into a steak. Izakaya logic says start with something hot, mild, and textural while the drinks arrive. Homes copy that when they want a starter that is not a salad. It is a tofu dish for people who think they do not like tofu, which is why it gets ordered by the cautious. There is no need to pretend it is health food. It is fried bean curd in a good broth, and that is already enough of a job.
Fried tofu in dashi is old tavern food. The name just means fried and pulled out (into broth). Frying tofu and then saucing it is tavern thinking: make a cheap protein interesting with heat and stock. Once dashi was a household stock, the same idea moved home. Starch coatings changed with the pantry — potato starch is a later convenience. The name describes a method, not a shrine recipe. Treat museum captions about 'ancient elegance' with the same scepticism you would bring to a pub's 'secret original gravy'.
Traditional
Provenance: Editorial adaptation.
Questions about this recipe
Answers taken from this dish's times, amounts, swaps and tips — not a chatbot.
How long does Agedashi tofu take?
25 min all in — 15 min prep, 10 min cook. Cook and rest follow the method. Leftover storage and optional extra waits are not included.
How many does it serve?
The recipe is written for 2 plates. Scale the ingredient list on the page if you are cooking for a different number.
How hard is it?
Easy.
How spicy is it?
No chilli.
What allergens should I watch?
This recipe is labelled for Soy, Fish. Labels are informational — check the packets in your kitchen. This is not medical advice.
Does it fit a diet?
The published recipe is labelled Vegetarian, Vegan, Gluten-free, Dairy-free, Nut-free.
What does it cost to cook?
Cheap night — about Under $8 USD, as a grocery budget for this recipe, not a restaurant price.
What equipment do I need?
Saucepan, Frying pan.
How much salt do I put in?
This recipe does not list salt as its own ingredient. Saltiness comes from Soy sauce — 2 tbsp. Taste at the end rather than adding a number we did not write.
How much soy sauce?
2 tbsp of Soy sauce.
What can I use instead?
Potato starch → Cornflour. Slightly less shatter, still a coat.
Any tips from this recipe?
Pressing the tofu is the difference between crisp and spitting oil. Too much broth turns it into soup. A ladle, not a swimming pool.
Can I use an air fryer?
This method is not written for an air fryer. The core technique on the page still applies.
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