It has grown on me!: How to Cook Agedashi Tofu, Deep-Fried Tofu in Dashi Soup

Do you like tofu? Last week, I cooked this agedashi tofu (揚げだし豆腐) for dinner. Age (揚げ) means deep-fried in Japanese, and dashi (出し) means dashi soup, so agedashi tofu means deep-fried tofu in dashi soup. However, I didn't deep-fry the tofu this time. I actually sauteed the tofu with plenty of oil. It's easier to cook and tasted like deep-fried. ;) If you like tofu, I think you will love it. This agedashi tofu reminded me of the one I had at a tofu farmer's market which my brother took me to when I visited Japan. They had many tofu dishes, and it was a great experience for me. If you are planning on visiting Japan, try tofu dishes there. Japan has many kinds of fresh high quality tofu. If you go to a supermarket in Japan, you can find very delicious tofu at very reasonable prices. By the way, when I moved to the U.S. from Japan, I was very surprised that expiration dates of most tofu selling in the U.S. were so much longer than ones in Japan. Usually expiration dates of tofu products in Japan are in 5 to 10 days while ones in the U.S. are over a month. That's why I always have some packs of tofu in my refrigerator here in the U.S. ;)

Anyway, today, I'm going to share how to cook agedashi tofu with you. I hope you will try this recipe. :)

Ingredients for 4 Servings
14 oz of Soft Tofu (Cut into bite size)
3 Tablespoons of Potato Starch (Katakuriko)
3 Tablespoons of Vegetable Oil
2 Teaspoons of Grated Ginger
4 Tablespoons of Mirin (Japanese Sweet Cooking Rice Wine)
4 Tablespoons of Soy Sauce
1 Cup of Water
1 Tablespoon of Hondashi
1/2 Cup of Sliced Green Onions

I usually purchase "soft" tofu for any Japanese tofu dishes such as agedashi tofu and miso soup. It's only because I like soft texture. If you find it difficult to cut the soft tofu into pieces, you can try "firm" tofu for this recipe.