Simmered Koyadofu

Step 1

Gather all the ingredients.

Step 2

The box says you do not need to soak, but I still recommend washing the koyadofu. Put the koyadofu in a bowl and pour hot water. The koyadofu will expand in about 10 minutes.

Step 3

While you wait for the koyadofu to expand, put dashi in a pot. I use cold brew kombu dashi for this recipe, leaving the kombu behind. Add mirin and sake.

Step 4

Add soy sauce, sugar, and salt.

Step 5

Mix all together and slowly bring it to boil.

Step 6

While waiting for the broth to boil, wash the koyadofu in clean cold water once it expands. Be careful with the koyadofu as the inside still contains hot water.

Step 7

Like a sponge, let the koyadofu soak up the clean water and push it out a few times to clean. Hold the tofu flat between your hands. Squeeze the cloudy water from the inside of the koyadofu by pressing hard.

Step 8

Change the water in the bowl several times to clean all the koyadofu. Thoroughly wash out the cloudy water by repeating this process several times. Give it a final squeeze.

Step 9

Cut each koyadofu into 6 square pieces.

Step 10

Once the dashi-soy broth is boiling, add the koyadofu and cover with a drop lid (Otoshibuta – if you don’t have one, make one with aluminum foil). You do not use a regular lid on top. Simmer for 10 minutes on medium-low heat.

Step 11

When it’s about to finish simmering, prepare the snow peas by removing the tough strings. Add the snow peas in the saucepan.

Step 12

Cook for 1-2 minutes. Then transfer the koyadofu to a glass container.

Step 13

Make sure the glass container is big enough to hold the koyadofu and the broth. I stack the koyadofu neatly.

Step 14

You can serve hot, at room temperature, or chilled after refrigerating for a few hours or overnight. Put the koyadofu, snow peas, and broth in a bowl and serve.

Step 15

You can keep in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days and in the freezer for up to a month. If it’s frozen, reheat before serving.