Agedashi Tofu is a classic Japanese fried tofu dish served in a warm, savory dashi sauce. The light, crisp coating soaks up the umami-rich sauce beautifully, while the inside stays soft and delicate. It's one of my favorite izakaya-style tofu dishes to make at home.
This might be one of my favorite ways to enjoy tofu. Of course, it's a must-have in my miso soup. I also used it in more creative ways, like as a creamy cheese substitute in Pumpkin Whipped Tofu Toast, Strawberry Rhubarb Whipped Tofu Toast, and Strawberry Tiramisu. But agedashi tofu is more of the traditional Japanese way to enjoy tofu.
Serve agedashi tofu with Tamagoyaki, Sunomono, Kombu Onigiri, and Miso Soup to serve a Japanese-style teisholu meal!
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What Is Agedashi Tofu?
Agedashi tofu (揚げ出し豆腐) is a Japanese fried tofu dish with savory dashi sauce, a type of tsuyu (つゆ). Tofu is fried to build a light, crisp crust that absorbs umami-rich broth made with soy sauce, mirin, and dashi.
This recipe transforms tofu into a satisfying side dish in a Japanese-style teishoku meal or izakaya spread with a glass of beer. When made with kombu dashi, it becomes a satisfying vegan-friendly dish with a delicate interior and crisp, sauce-soaked exterior.
Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Classic Japanese side dish made with simple ingredients.
- Fried tofu coating absorbs umami-packed, warm savory broth.
- Light, crisp coating with soft, delicate texture inside.
- Japanese izakaya-style dish made easy at home.
Ingredients You'll Need
- Tofu: Both silken and firm tofu work, so choose depending on the texture you're looking for. Silken has a delicate, velvety texture, but it requires gentle handling because it breaks easily. Firm tofu is easier to handle, and the texture is more hearty and meaty. My favorite is silken tofu!
- Eggplant: Whenever I warm up a pot of oil for deep frying, I like to take full advantage of it. Eggplant are a great vegetable for deep frying. The skin shines, and the flesh becomes so flavorful when cooked with oil. And eggplant also soaks up dashi beautifully. You can also use zucchini, okra, and kabocha squash instead.
- Potato starch: Creates a lightly crisp coating around tofu. You can also use cornstarch or arrowroot starch.
- Dashi: It's the base for the umami-packed sauce. Use kombu and katsuo (bonito) dashi for the traditional flavor.
- Soy sauce and mirin: Basic Japanese seasonings to create savory sauce with a hint of sweetness.
- Green onion: adds freshness.
- Grated daikon: Grated daikon, daikon oroshi (大根おろし), is also a refreshing topping. Grated daikon is traditionally served with rich dishes to make it feel less oily and balance the flavor.
How to Make Dashi: Making dashi at home is so easy! It is traditionally made with dried kombu and bonito flakes.
The basic ratio of traditional dashi is water: dried kombu: bonito flakes = 100:1:1, which means you'll need 10g each of dried kombu and bonito flakes for 1000ml of water.
- Add the water and dried kombu to a pot and soak for 30 minutes.
- Bring it to a gentle boil.
- Turn off the heat, then remove the kombu from the pot.
- Add bonito flakes and bring it back to a gentle simmer. Then turn off the heat and let it sit for 2 minutes.
- Strain the mixture over a sieve and cheesecloth to remove bonito flakes from the dashi.
For a plant-based version, use kombu dashi.
How to Make Agedashi Tofu
- Prepare the tofu. Drain the tofu and wrap it in kitchen paper. Let it sit for 10-15 minutes to drain the excess moisture. Pat dry well and cut into 1-inch cubes.
- Coat the tofu. Coat the tofu blocks evenly on all sides with potato starch. Make sure the potato starch is not wet or clumpy.
- Prepare the eggplant (optional). Remove the stem and cut in half lengthwise. Score a criss-cross pattern on the skin side. Cut into quarters lengthwise if the eggplant pieces are thicker than the tofu blocks.
- Sprinkle a generous pinch of salt over the cut surface. Let sit until the eggplants start to sweat, about 5-10 minutes. Then pat them dry well. This step reduces the bitterness of eggplant.
- Shallow fry the tofu. In a pot, heat ¼ inch of oil. Gently add the tofu. If using, also add the eggplant pieces with the skin side down. Cook, flipping occasionally, until all sides are golden brown. Work in batches if necessary.
- Make the sauce. In a saucepan, combine dashi, soy sauce, and mirin. Bring it to a gentle boil, then simmer for 3 minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside.
- Assemble. In a serving bowl, place fried tofu and eggplants. Gently pour the sauce over them. Top with grated daikon radish and green onions.
Common Problems and Tips
Tofu broke while cooking
Agedashi tofu is delicate, especially when using soft or silken tofu. Handle the tofu gently when coating and frying, and use tongs to turn each piece carefully. If you are new to making agedashi tofu, medium or firm tofu is easier to handle.
Coating fell off
The tofu may have been too wet, or the starch may have absorbed too much moisture before frying. Coat the tofu with potato starch just before frying. If potato starch starts to clump together from the moisture, use new potato starch to keep it dry.
Oil splattered too much
Tofu contains a lot of water, so draining and drying are important. Let the tofu drain before coating, and gently pat the surface dry with paper towels.
Tofu stuck to the pan
Make sure the oil is hot before adding the tofu. Once the tofu is in the oil, let the coating set before moving it. If you move it too early, the coating can tear and fall off.
How to Serve Agedashi Tofu
Agedashi tofu is best served warm, right after frying, while the coating is still light and crisp. Place the fried tofu in a small bowl and pour the warm dashi sauce over or around it. Garnish makes this dish even more flavorful: grated daikon radish, green onions, grated ginger, and shichimi togarashi are great options.
It works well as part of a Japanese meal. When composing my Japanese meal, I always keep the Ichiju Sansai principle in mind, which is a meal structure consisting of rice, soup, a main dish, and two sides.
Here are some delicious ideas to serve with Agedashi tofu.
- Rice: Kombu Onigiri, Tuna Mayo Onigiri, Natto Maki, and Chirashizushi.
- Soup: Kabocha Squash Miso Soup and Shio Koji Tomato Soup.
- Main Dishes: Air Fryer Karaage, Nikujaga (Meat and Potato Stew), Shio Koji Salmon, and Shio Koji Chicken.
- Side Dishes: Japanese Sunomono Cucumber Salad and Tamagoyaki (Japanese rolled egg omelette).
Storage and Reheating
Agedashi tofu tastes best right after frying, so I recommend enjoying it fresh if possible. Once the sauce is added, the coating will soften quickly.
If you have leftovers, store the fried tofu and sauce separately in airtight containers in the refrigerator. Reheat the tofu in an oven, toaster oven, or air fryer until warmed through. The coating will not be as delicate and crisp as freshly fried tofu, but it will still be delicious.
Warm the sauce separately in a small saucepan or microwave, then pour it over the reheated tofu right before serving.
I don't recommend freezing agedashi tofu because the texture of tofu changes after freezing and thawing.
More Japanese Recipes
Enjoy more Japanese recipes to enjoy at home!
Agedashi Tofu
Ingredients
- 1 16 oz block silken or firm tofu drained and cut into inch-sized blocks
- 6 Tablespoons potato starch more as needed
- 2 green onions thinly sliced
- Grated daikon for serving
- 2 Japanese eggplants or baby eggplants (optional)
- Extra virgin olive oil for frying
- Salt
For the sauce
- ⅔ cup dashi I use basic kombu and bonito flake dashi or dashi made with a dashi packet.
- 2 Tablespoons soy sauce
- 3 Tablespoons mirin
Instructions
- Prepare the tofu. Drain the tofu and wrap it in kitchen paper. Let it sit for 10-15 minutes to drain the excess moisture. Pat dry well and cut into 1-inch cubes.
- Coat the tofu. Coat the tofu blocks evenly on all sides with potato starch. Make sure the potato starch is not wet or clumpy.
- Prepare the eggplants (optional). Remove the stem and cut in half lengthwise. Score a criss-cross pattern on the skin side. Cut into quarters lengthwise if the eggplant pieces are thicker than the tofu blocks.
- Sprinkle a generous pinch of salt over the cut surface. Let sit until the eggplants start to sweat, about 5-10 minutes. Then pat them dry well. This step reduces the bitterness of eggplant.
- Shallow fry the tofu. In a pot, heat ¼ inch of oil. Gently add the tofu. If using, also add the eggplant pieces with the skin side down. Cook, flipping occasionally, until all sides are golden brown. Work in batches if necessary.
- Make the sauce. In a saucepan, combine dashi, soy sauce, and mirin. Bring it to a gentle boil, then simmer for 3 minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside.
- Assemble. In a serving bowl, place fried tofu and eggplants. Gently pour the sauce over them. Top with grated daikon radish and green onions.
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