Japanese cuisine · Vegetable Dishes

Yudofu (Tofu in Kombu Broth)

Tofu pieces gently simmer in clear kombu broth and are spooned from the pot with ponzu and spring onions.

Ingredients · for 4 servings

• 600 g firm tofu
• 1 piece kombu (15 cm)
• 1.5 liters water
• 200 g napa cabbage
• 3 spring onions
• 4 tbsp ponzu (or 3 tbsp soy sauce + 1 tbsp lemon juice)
• 1 piece ginger (2 cm)
• 1 handful bonito flakes
• 1 tsp sesame seeds

Instructions

1. Wipe the kombu with a damp cloth and soak in cold water in the pot for 20 minutes — don't rinse it, the white coating carries the flavor.
2. Cut the tofu into eight large cubes, the napa cabbage into wide strips, and the spring onions into fine rings; finely grate the ginger.
3. Heat the broth slowly and remove the kombu just before it boils, or the broth turns slimy and bitter.
4. Cook the napa cabbage in the broth for 2 minutes, then slide in the tofu cubes and let them just heat through at barely a simmer for 5–7 minutes — the tofu must not boil or it turns porous.
5. Stir the grated ginger into the ponzu and fill into small dipping bowls.
6. Lift the tofu with a skimmer along with some broth into bowls, sprinkle with spring onions, bonito flakes, and sesame seeds, and dip piece by piece into the ponzu.