A refreshing chilled tofu rice bowl topped with homemade dashi soy sauce. Tender silken tofu, kamaage shirasu whitebait, pickled takana, crispy tenkasu batter bits, egg yolk, and spring onions are arranged over rice and drizzled with a savory dashi soy sauce—perfect for summer appetites.
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Adapted from a video by Cooking with Dog
Tofu Don Recipe and Homemade Dashi Soy Sauce (Chilled Tofu Bowl with Shirasu and Takanazuke)
katsuobushi bonito flakesused bonito flakes left after making dashi stock~1 tbspest.
dashi soy saucehomemade (see dashi soy sauce preparation); or substitute with regular soy sauce or mentsuyu noodle soup base~3 tbspest.
Steps
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1
Prepare the dashi soy sauce: gently wipe the dashi kombu seaweed clean. Pour mirin into a small pot and heat over medium heat, keeping the flame under the pot to prevent alcohol ignition.
2
When the mirin begins to boil, slightly reduce the heat and simmer for about 1 minute until the alcohol smell disappears.
3
Once the alcohol has evaporated, add soy sauce, water, kombu seaweed, and bonito flakes, submerging the flakes. Gradually heat until boiling, taking about 2 to 3 minutes.
4
Once boiling, simmer for another 4 minutes at the same heat level. If kombu is unavailable, increase the amount of bonito flakes.
5
Remove from heat. Strain the sauce through a mesh strainer lined with paper towel. Wrap the kombu and bonito flakes in paper towel and press firmly with the back of a ladle to extract the liquid. Flip and squeeze from the other side as well.
6
The used bonito flakes retain excellent flavor and will be reserved as a rice topping. Once cooled, keep the dashi soy sauce in the refrigerator; it can also be used as a dipping sauce for soba or udon noodles.
7
Re-roast the white sesame seeds in a small pan, being careful not to burn them. Heat until hot to the touch, then transfer to a paper towel-lined board to cool.
8
Roasting and chopping the sesame seeds enhances their fragrance and creates a different texture from whole seeds. Store in a food container for later use.
9
Prepare the takanazuke: squeeze out the pickling liquid. Separate the thin leafy part from the thick midrib. Cut the leafy part into ~10 cm pieces, stack them, cut into thin strips along the fibers, then finely chop perpendicular to the initial cuts.
10
Cut the thick midrib part into small pieces as well. Takanazuke is made by fermenting takana leaves with lactic acid, creating a deep, refreshing flavor that stimulates appetite and complements fried rice, stir-fries, and soups. Store the chopped takanazuke in a container in the refrigerator.
11
Prepare the tofu don: place slightly warm rice in a bowl. Loosen the reserved bonito flakes and distribute them over the rice.
12
Place the thoroughly chilled, lightly drained silken tofu over the rice. Break up and spread the tofu with a spoon, then make an indentation in the center with the back of the spoon.
13
Gently place a fresh egg yolk in the center (use only food-safe raw eggs). Arrange a generous amount of kamaage shirasu around the yolk. Kamaage shirasu are salt-boiled young sardines with about 80% water content, making them moister and softer than other types.
14
Sprinkle the finely chopped takanazuke around the shirasu. Add the tenkasu (deep-fried batter bits), which provide a crispy texture and are popular in okonomiyaki, takoyaki, soba, and udon.
15
Add the chopped spring onion leaves and sprinkle with the chopped toasted white sesame seeds. Finally, pour the homemade dashi soy sauce over everything.
16
Enjoy: this is an easy, delicious rice bowl perfect for hot seasons, requiring no actual cooking time. Simply arrange chilled ingredients over rice and enjoy the layered, savory flavors. When using this dashi soy sauce as a dipping sauce for soba or udon noodles, dilute 1 part sauce with 2 parts cold water.
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