Crispy-creamy tofu, southern barbarian style recipe

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A crispy kudzu coating on creamy cubes of tōfu gives this dish textural interest, and the spicy grated radish with fiery pepper topping offers flavor impact two good reasons why this dish is a favorite at pubs and casual eateries.

When nanban (literally, “southern barbarian”) dishes appear on a menu, Japanese diners are ready to enjoy spicy fried foods with a hint of citrus. The origins of this are traced to the nanban jin, the “barbarians who came from the south” the Portuguese and their penchant for spicy, tartly marinated fried foods such as escabeche. This dish, along with battered-and-fried tempura, is evidence that the Portuguese-Japanese culinary interchange during the sixteenth century had a lasting influence on Japan’s food scene.

  • Yield: 4 as a side dish, 8 as an appetizer

Ingredients

  • 1 block silken tofu, about 14 ounces, drained and lightly pressed (about 12 ounces after pressing)
Coating
  • 2 teaspoons soy milk, freshly extracted or purchased
  • 2 tablespoons crushed kudzu
  • Vegetable oil for deep-frying
Sauce and Topping
  • ¼ cup stock, preferably Sun-Dried Shiitaké Mushroom Stock
  • 1 tablespoon soy sauce
  • 1 teaspoon sugar
  • 7 ounces daikon, preferably 3 to 4 inches from the tapered end, peel thickly removed and set aside for use in other dishes
  • ¼ teaspoon shichimi togarashi
  • Lime or lemon wedges
How to Make It
  1. Slice the tofu into 8 pieces, each about 1½ inches square and ¾ inch thick. Gently pat dry all exposed surfaces.
  2. Coat the Tofu
  3. Put the soy milk in a small, shallow bowl. Put the kudzu in a second small bowl. Briefly dip each piece of tōfu in the soy milk, then lay the pieces, one at a time, in the kudzu and flip to coat all surfaces evenly. If necessary, use a spoon to scoop the kudzu powder over the top of each piece and press lightly to encourage the coating to stick. Flip to coat all surfaces evenly. Or, use a pastry brush to apply the kudzu to the surfaces. Set the coated tōfu aside on a dry paper towel.
  4. Pour the vegetable oil to a depth of at least 1½ inches into a small, deep skillet or small wok and heat to about 350°F. Check the temperature with an unvarnished long wooden chopstick (or a bamboo skewer). Small bubbles will form around the tip when the oil is about 350°F. Or, test the oil temperature by dropping a pinch of the kudzu (preferably with a bit of the soy milk clinging to it) into the oil: if it sinks ever so slightly, surfaces immediately and sizzles, and then begins to lightly color within 30 seconds, the oil is ready.
  5. Lower the coated tōfu, 2 or 3 pieces at a time, into the hot oil and fry undisturbed for about 1 minute, or until well crusted and lightly colored. Flip the pieces over and fry undisturbed for another minute. Avoid flipping the pieces more than once or the tōfu will be unnecessarily greasy and the coating will scatter in the oil. Tōfu is a precooked food, so you don’t have to be concerned with “cooking” it again by frying, only with crisping the coating on it. Using a fine-mesh skimmer, transfer the tōfu cubes to paper towels to drain, turning them once after about 30 seconds to blot up excess oil from all surfaces. Skim your oil between batches to clear away wayward bits of coating. Fry the remaining cubes in the same way.
  6. When you begin to fry the final batch of tōfu cubes, make the sauce: Combine the stock, soy sauce, and sugar in a small saucepan over medium heat and bring just to a simmer, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Remove from the heat and keep very warm while you assemble the dish.
  7. Place 1 or 2 chunks of tōfu in each of 4 or 8 small shallow bowls or flanged plates. Grate and strain the daikon just before using to preserve its nutrients (especially vitamin C) and pleasantly sharp “bite.” Garnish each tōfu portion with a dollop of grated daikon and a pinch of shichimi tōgarashi. Warm sauce can be spooned into the bowl or onto the plate and tōfu placed on top, or the warm sauce can be ladled over each tōfu portion. Serve immediately. Provide lime or lemon wedges for a light, fruity accent.
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