Hiyayakko is cold Tofu salad widely eaten in Japan during hot weather. Basic Hiyayakko is eaten simply with chopped green onion and Katsuo dried bonito flakes drizzled with soy sauce. If you like to eat Hiyayakko throughout the whole summer, that might be a bit boring. We will show you three more ways to arrange Hiyayakko here.
Tofu Steak (豆腐ステーキ) is pan-fried tofu with a Soy Sauce-based savory sauce. Tofu is mild-flavored bean curd and usually cooked in dishes as one of many side ingredients, but it is the main character of this recipe. Tofu Steak is delicious in a strongly flavored sauce with refreshing spicy grated ginger, and goes very well with Steamed Rice. This dish is a great way to add good protein to your meal that is very healthy and also easy on your budget.
Miso Soup (味噌汁) is, as many of you may already know, a soup flavored with Miso Paste and usually includes Tofu and vegetables. It is a very essential dish of Japanese cuisine, and comes with any traditional Japanese meal. Many of you might have had Miso Soup once before even if you didn’t order it at a Japanese restaurant, just because it came with your Chicken Teriyaki.
Atsuage is deep fried Tofu that you can use without any breaking or using batter. Atsuage is an important ingredient in Japanese cooking, especially in Nimono (boiled and seasoned vegetables and meat). Because it is made of Tofu, it is healthy plant-based protein, but it has a little more body and deeper flavor from being fried in oil.
Mabo Tofu (or Mapo Tofu) is one of the very popular Chinese dishes in Japan. Tofu in a garlicky, spicy meat sauce is vey tasty, and it goes very well with Steamed Rice. That may be the reason why Japanese people love the dish so much.
Agedashi Tofu (Agedashidofu) is deep-fried Tofu blocks in savory Dashi sauce. It is one of the most popular appetizers at restaurant bars in Japan, but also a great home-cooking dish. Freshly fried Tofu in a very hot, soup like sauce will warm you up in a cold season.
Hamburger Steak is a very popular western style dish in Japan, and it is often made at home or served at many restaurants. While regular hamburger steak is made from ground pork and beef, Tofu Hamburger Steak is made from a mixture of Tofu and ground meat. Although Tofu Hamburger Steak has fewer calories and a little softer texture, it tastes meaty enough for meat lovers.
Yudofu (Yu Tofu) is Tofu cooked in hot water (Yu) in a pot. It is a very simple Nabe hot pot dish. Usually the hot water is not actually just water but Kombu (dried kelp) broth to give the dish more flavor. It is typically served with tangy Ponzu sauce for dipping. You can use Mentsuyu instead for dipping sauce if you don’t like Ponzu.