Agedashi Tofu with spicy daikon » Our favourite Tofu recipe!

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Agedashi tofu is a Japanese dish that packs a punch: Crispy deep-fried Tofu, bathed in a savoury brodo Dashi and garnished with grated daikon radish and spring onions. This traditional dish is not only incredibly delicious, but also easy to prepare. Find out here how to conjure up the perfect Agedashi Tofu!

Agedashi tofu is one of my absolute favourite Tofu recipes and also offers a fascinating insight into Japanese cuisine! This lightly fried, crispy Tofu is served in a sweet and savoury broth; it’s light and crispy and practically melts in the mouth. The dish itself is so heavenly that you’ll want to eat the whole bowl!

In 1782, the book Tofu Hyakuchin was published, which became something of a bestseller and in which the recipe for “Agedashi Tofu” was also featured. This suggests that the dish has been cooked since at least the middle of the Edo period, but may well have existed even earlier. It therefore has a remarkably long history!

Agedashi means “deep-fry and serve” and was formerly used not only for Tofu, but also for aubergines, radishes and various types of potatoes without batter. Today, however, the term Agedashi refers almost exclusively to Agedashi Tofu.

Fortunately, Agedashi Tofu isn’t that difficult to make! Today I’ll show you a foolproof method for preparing this popular Japanese starter at home!

All you need are:

firm Tofu
potato starch
plain flour
oil for deep-frying

Would you like to find out more about Tofu? Then I recommend my fascinating article on the subject Tofu and the best recipes!

This dish, which is very popular in Japan, is served both in Japanese pubs and at home. Agedashi tofu, also known as Agedashi Dofu in Japan, consists of soft or medium-firm Tofu that is coated in potato starch and deep-fried, so that the outer crust is crispy and the inside is soft and powdery.

Just before serving, a warm tsuyu sauce is poured over the Tofu, giving it an irresistible Umami flavour with a hint of sweetness. The sauce consists of:

Dashi broth (see recipe)
Soy sauce (im Shop ansehen)
Mirin (im Shop ansehen)

The Tofu is then garnished with various toppings such as grated daikon and spring onions. For a spicy kick, you can sprinkle the dish with a light pinch of shichimi togarashi.

Here is a small selection of toppings – you can prepare a few from the list or turn it into a fun self-service topping station:

Chopped spring onion
Grated daikon
Grated ginger
Katsuobushi bonito flakes (im Shop ansehen)
Shichimi togarashi (im Shop ansehen)
Deep-fried lotus root
Deep-fried shishito peppers

Served piping hot, Agedashi tofu is surely one of the best Tofu dishes you can imagine! I wish you every success and hope you enjoy cooking – if you have any questions or suggestions, please feel free to use the comments section below the recipe 😊. Let’s get started:

Agedashi tofu

Serves 2 | 20 minutes | 293 kcal

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Agedashi tofu is a Japanese dish that packs a punch: Crispy deep-fried Tofu, bathed in a savoury brodo Dashi and garnished with grated daikon radish and spring onions. This traditional dish is not only incredibly delicious, but also easy to prepare. Find out here how to conjure up the perfect Agedashi Tofu!

Ingredients (serves 2)

300 g firm Tofu (for deep-frying, fresh from the Asian supermarket)
4 tbsp potato starch (im Shop ansehen)*
4 tbsp plain flour
200 ml oil (e.g. rapeseed oil)

200 ml Dashi broth (im Shop ansehen)* (to the recipe)*
2 tbsp Shoyu (im Shop ansehen)*
2 tbsp Mirin (im Shop ansehen)*

1 spring onion
5 cm daikon radish
a little shichimi togarashi (im Shop ansehen)*

* Add ingredients to basket 🪄

Useful tools:
Japanese Yukihiara saucepan
Japanese Santoku knife (im Shop ansehen)

Preparation (20 minutes)

Step 1

Prepare the ingredients for Agedashi Tofu. The brodo Dashi made from Kombu and Shiitake should now be ready (click here for the recipe).

Agedashi Tofu passaggio 2: Squeeze the Tofu

Step 2

First of all, wrap the Tofu in 3 layers of kitchen paper, place it in a baking dish for 15 minutes and place something heavy (such as another baking dish filled with water) on top to press the water out of the Tofu.

Step 3

Place the Dashi, soy sauce and Mirin in a small saucepan and bring to a simmer. Then turn off the heat, cover with a lid and set aside.

Step 4

In addition, wash the spring onion under running water, let the water drain and cut it into wide rings (preferably using a large knife cut in half lengthways, fold together and slice into fine rings from the top down, removing the root end).
Next, peel the daikon radish and grate finely using a kitchen grater.

Step 5

Heat the oil in a deep frying pan to around 170°C.
Mix the flour and potato starch in a separate bowl.

Step 6

Unwrap the Tofu and cut it into 8 pieces. Roll each piece of Tofu in the flour mixture until it is coated all over.

Step 7

When the oil is hot, place the battered Tofu pieces into the pan.
Tip: Make sure the pan isn’t too full so that everything turns out nice and crispy.
Fry the Tofu, turning once, until all the pieces are light brown and crispy. Drain on a kitchen towel to allow the excess oil to drain off.

Step 8

Place the Tofu in portions onto a serving plate and drizzle with the warm sauce . Sprinkle with the chopped spring onions, grated daikon and a little shichimi togarashi . Done – Itadakimasu!

Are you looking for delicious Japanese recipes that go well with Agedashi Tofu? Here are a few ideas: