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1
Place the kombu strip in the clay pot (donabe) with 1.2 litres of cold water. Set over low heat and bring slowly to just below a simmer. The water is ready when small bubbles rise at the base of the pot and a faint marine fragrance lifts from the surface — do not allow it to boil. Remove the kombu before the water reaches a simmer, or the liquid will turn slimy and bitter.
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2
Arrange the condiment tray: grated ginger, green onion rings, katsuobushi, and ponzu or light soy sauce in individual vessels. The katsuobushi should be set out at the last moment so the delicate flakes are not compressed. This step is as important as the tofu itself — the condiments are not garnish but the second half of the dish.
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3
Lower the tofu blocks gently into the flavoured pot water using a flat scoop or deep ladle. Do not pierce the blocks. Maintain the water at a gentle, barely perceptible movement — just below a simmer throughout. This is where the dish lives or dies: a rolling boil will shatter the tofu's structure, cloud the water, and render the surface watery and broken; the correct heat produces tofu that is warm, intact, and glossy.
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4
Heat the tofu for 2–3 minutes only. The block is ready when it has a uniform warmth throughout and its surface becomes faintly translucent at the edges. Touch the surface lightly with the back of the ladle — it should yield gently and feel soft but cohesive, not rubbery or shrunken.
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5
Retrieve each block with the flat scoop and transfer to individual bowls or directly to the dipping bowl at each diner's place. The tofu should hold its form cleanly. Dip in ponzu or soy, add condiments to taste, and consume immediately. Replenish the pot at the table as subsequent pieces are warmed.