Agedashi tofu & soba

This dish a go-to in our house - we always have the ingredients for it just in case, which all happen to be fairly shelf stable! If you haven't had it before, agedashi tofu is a fried tofu that has a chewy mochi-like exterior that forms when its soaked in its broth. It's a warming treat that is balanced by a cool soba with a refreshing yuzu ponzu sauce.

Ingredients (serves 2)

• 3 tsp dashi powder (vegan version: swap out for a ~4" x 4" sheet of dried kombu)

• 3 cups water

• 1/4 cup + 2 tbsp soy sauce

• 2 tbsp yuzu extract

• 6 tbsp mirin

• 1 - 14 oz package of firm tofu

• 1/2 cup potato starch

• 7 oz of soba noodles (we are partial to the green tea variety!)

• Neutral frying oil (i.e. vegetable oil)

• Optional toppings: grated daikon, chopped scallions, bonito flakes.

Kitchen Tools

• Frying pan

• 2 medium-sized pots

• Thermometer

Instructions

1. Bring 3 cups of water to a boil. Once boiling, add 3 tsp of dashi powder (or kombu for vegan version), and lower to a simmer.

2. In a small bowl, mix 1/4 cup soy sauce, 1/4 cup of dashi broth, and yuzu extract. Set aside (this is your dipping sauce for the soba!)

3. Fill a medium size pot halfway with water and bring to a boil. Cook soba according to package instructions. Once cooked, immediately strain and rinse with cold water until cool to the touch. Set aside.

4. Cut the tofu in half length wise. Then cut into 3 sections cross wise. Then cut each piece in half. You will have 12 pieces of tofu in the end. Coat each piece of tofu with the potato starch. (NOTE: Many tofu recipes require that you press the tofu to rid of excess moisture. In this case you do NOT need to do that - in fact, it helps with making the potato starch stick!)

5. Fill a frying pan half-way with oil, place over medium-high heat flame. Once the oil temperature has reached 350 deg F, you can start placing the tofu in gently. In order to avoid the pieces sticking to each other, do not over-crowd the pan. Cook each side for 3-4 minutes until they are lightly browned. After cooking, place the tofu on a paper towel to soak up any excess oil.

6. In each individual serving bowl, combine 3 tbsp mirin, 1 tbsp soy sauce, and 3/4 cup of dashi broth. These measurements do not need to be exact - you can adjust to your liking (more sweet = mirin, more salty = soy sauce, and more umami = dashi broth).

7. To enjoy this dish, ensure that all sides of the tofu get soaked in your broth mixture before eating. Enjoy dipping your soba noodles in the yuzu ponzu sauce for a nice contrast in flavor!