Yudofu
Local name: 湯豆腐
Silken tofu warmed in kombu water and dipped in ponzu sauce, a winter dish from the temples of Kyoto.
- Prep
- 10 min
- Cook
- 10 min
- Total
- 20 min
- Serves
- 2
- Difficulty
- Easy
Method
- Wipe the kombu with a damp cloth rather than washing it, then soak it for 30 minutes in the cold water, in an earthenware or cast-iron pot.
- Mix the soy sauce, yuzu juice and mirin for the ponzu. Divide it between two small bowls.
- Cut the tofu into 4 cm cubes and let them drain on a cloth for 5 minutes.
- Heat the kombu water gently until small bubbles climb the sides. Lift out the kombu before it boils.
- Slide the tofu cubes into the trembling water and let them warm through for 3 minutes. They rise slowly when ready.
- Bring the pot to the table so each person fishes out a cube and dips it in ponzu, with spring onion and daikon.
The water must never boil, or the tofu pits and turns spongy. The monks of Nanzenji in Kyoto have served this since the seventeenth century. Tamari replaces the soy sauce for a gluten-free version.
