Silken tofu simmered in nothing but kombu dashi until warm, served with a dipping sauce of ponzu or soy with grated daikon, ginger, and katsuobushi. Yudofu is the minimum expression of Japanese cooking philosophy: the best possible ingredient, the most minimal possible intervention, the most careful possible execution. The tofu must be exceptional — fresh, made with good soy, just-set, with the flavour of the soybean intact. The kombu water must be correct. The temperature must never approach a boil.
- **Tofu quality:** Freshly made silken tofu (kinugoshi) — the texture of just-set panna cotta. The flavour of the soybean should be present and clean. Vacuum-packed supermarket silken tofu cannot produce yudofu of the correct character. - **The kombu:** A piece of kombu in the simmering water adds glutamates that enhance the tofu's natural flavour without adding an identifiable flavour of their own. - **Temperature:** Never above 80°C. Above this temperature the tofu's protein network begins to tighten and the silken texture is lost. The surface of the water should barely move. - **The dipping sauce:** The most important element. Ponzu with finely grated daikon (momiji oroshi — the red-tipped daikon prepared with chilli) is the classic. The acid and the daikon's mild heat provide the counterpoint to the tofu's softness.
Tsuji