When we moved from Vancouver to a small rural town in northern British Columbia we new certain things wouldn't be as easily available anymore. Its funny how you take certain things for granted living in a large city, like a good bowl of Agedashi you begin to miss certain things pretty quick. Sure we could get them to do something similar where they toss deep fried tofu into a chop-suey, but that was the extent of what they were willing to do for us at the local Chinese take-out. The only solution, make our own.
Agedashi is a medium firm tofu that is briefly tossed in cornstarch and immediately plunged in hot peanut oil. It comes out light and crispy on the outside and soft and creamy on the inside. You would have it served swimming in a bowl of soya spiked Dashi or as we like to have it with the sauce on the side. That way you would dip the hot crispy tofu into the sauce, rather then the outside getting soggy as it slowly drowns. From start to finish this dish takes about 10 minutes if that. When I made this last night taking the pictures really slowed me down, mostly because I was trying to avoid getting cornstarch in my camera!
Oddly enough this dish is great for newbies to tofu, all though by itself it is rather bland, when you dip it, it soaks up the sauce like a sponge. I am a meat eater through and through, and to be honest this is the only way I'll eat tofu. Most meat eaters agree, once they have it they love it, the only problem with this dish is how addicting it is. A month from the first time you have it, you'll wake up in the middle of the night suddenly craving it. Resist going down to the kitchen in the middle of the night: sleep-deep frying never turns out well.
Agedashi is a medium firm tofu that is briefly tossed in cornstarch and immediately plunged in hot peanut oil. It comes out light and crispy on the outside and soft and creamy on the inside. You would have it served swimming in a bowl of soya spiked Dashi or as we like to have it with the sauce on the side. That way you would dip the hot crispy tofu into the sauce, rather then the outside getting soggy as it slowly drowns. From start to finish this dish takes about 10 minutes if that. When I made this last night taking the pictures really slowed me down, mostly because I was trying to avoid getting cornstarch in my camera!
Oddly enough this dish is great for newbies to tofu, all though by itself it is rather bland, when you dip it, it soaks up the sauce like a sponge. I am a meat eater through and through, and to be honest this is the only way I'll eat tofu. Most meat eaters agree, once they have it they love it, the only problem with this dish is how addicting it is. A month from the first time you have it, you'll wake up in the middle of the night suddenly craving it. Resist going down to the kitchen in the middle of the night: sleep-deep frying never turns out well.
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Tools
- Sharp Knife
- Cutting board
- Small pot or Deep fryer
- Slotted spoon or tongs
- Serving dishes
- Medium firm tofu
- Peanut oil
- Corn starch
- Japanese soya sauce, once you use it regular soya suace just isn't the same anymore
- Dashi, If you do not have Dashi then use Tempura dipping sauce (easier to find)
- Mirin (sushi vinegar)
- little water
- bonito flakes
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along with miso, this is a staple of simple Japanese cuisine.
Wikipedia says:
Dashi:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dashi
"The most common form of dashi is a simple broth or stock made by heating water containing kombu (edible kelp) and kezurikatsuo (shavings of katsuobushi - preserved, fermented tuna) to near-boiling, then straining the resultant liquid."
Bonito:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bonito
Hope that helps!