Shira-ae (Mashed Tofu Salad) Recipe
Shira-ae is a cooked vegetable dish mixed with mashed tofu and sesame soy sauce. It’s a staple side dish in Japanese home cooking, yet it remains little known outside of Japan. Shira-ae can be served as an appetizer, tucked into a bento box, or enjoyed as an everyday side dish at dinner. Shira-ae is rarely found in Japanese restaurants outside Japan, but for many of us, it’s the kind of dish we grew up eating at home — simple, comforting, and deeply familiar.
What’s Shira-ae?
Although shira-ae is categorized as a kind of salad, it’s quite different from what most people picture. There’s no oil or vinegar dressing — instead, mashed tofu acts as a thick, creamy coating that binds everything together. This might be surprising to people outside Japan, where tofu is usually served in neat cubes in miso soup or larger pieces in nabe (hot pot). In shira-ae, it loses its shape entirely, seasoned with sesame and soy sauce to create a rich, savory base that flavors the whole dish.
The vegetables typically include sliced carrots, spinach, and konnyaku (a firm, jelly-like food made from konjac potatoes)— and sometimes even persimmon for a touch of sweetness and seasonal flavor. The vegetables are cooked and seasoned before being mixed with the tofu, giving the finished dish a deeper, more developed flavor.
To prepare the tofu, the first step is removing some of its moisture. Traditionally, you’d wrap it in a cloth, place a weight on top, and let it sit for a few hours until it firms up slightly — just enough so the dish doesn’t turn out watery. In our video, we use a microwave as a handy shortcut, which works really well and lets you easily adjust the texture by tweaking the cooking time.
For a completely smooth and creamy result, go easy on removing the water and use a mortar and pestle to get a silky consistency. For a chunkier texture, remove more moisture and simply mash the tofu with a fork or spoon — it won’t coat the vegetables as evenly, but you’ll get satisfying little pockets of tofu throughout the dish.
Shira-ae does involve a few more steps than your average side dish — all the components are prepared separately and brought together at the end. It’s definitely not a one-pot dish, but the effort is well worth it. The good news is that it keeps well, so any leftovers can be enjoyed over the next couple of days, whether as a dinner side dish or tucked into a bento box. A little work goes a long way!
Tips and substitutions for Shira-ae
- Our vegetable choices are pretty classic for Shira-ae, but feel free to mix things up based on your preferences. If konnyaku’s texture isn’t your thing, simply leave it out and swap in whatever you like — green beans or takenoko (young bamboo shoots) work nicely. Just keep in mind that watery vegetables like cucumber don’t mix well with tofu unless you salt them first and squeeze out the excess moisture. And when it comes to leafy greens, spinach is traditional but not your only option — mustard greens, for example, are a great alternative.
- As mentioned, you can adjust the texture of the tofu to your liking. Leave more moisture in for a looser, creamier consistency, or remove more water for a thicker, chunkier result.
- For the best sesame flavor, toast the seeds first and grind them yourself. You can certainly buy pre-ground sesame seeds, and they work just fine — but that one extra step takes the aroma and flavor to a whole new level.
More recipes like Shira-ae
Video
Ingredients
- 1 package Tofu
- 1/2 bunch spinach
- 1 cup Dashi
- 1 small carrot (thinly cut)
- 1/2 block Konnyaku (thinly cut)
- 1 Tbsp Mirin
- 1 Tbsp soy sauce
Sesame Sauce
- 1 Tbsp sesame seeds
- 1 Tbsp sugar
- 1 Tbsp soy sauce
Instructions
- Slice Tofu into 6-8 pieces. Place them on paper towels over a plate and microwave for 2 minutes. Change to new paper towels and microwave for 2 more minutes. Change to new paper towels again and let Tofu cool.
- Cook spinach in boiling water for a minute. Wash under cold water and squeeze water out very well. Cut into 1″ long bunches.
- In a medium pot, heat Dashi to boil, add carrot and Konnyaku, and cook for 2-3 minutes. Add Mirin and soy sauce and cook until liquid is almost gone. Let it cool, then add spinach and mix.
- Grind sesame seeds, and mix with soy sauce and sugar.
- Mash Tofu and mix in sesame sauce. Then add cooked vegetables.
Do I use medium or firm tofu for this recipe?
Thank you.
Lori,
soft or medium will work well.