Rika's TOKYO CUISINE: Atsu-age

Dining with the Chef!

Hello, and welcome to Dining with the Chef.

I'm Rika Yukimasa.

Today, I'd like to share some of my tofu recipes with you.

You're probably already quite familiar with tofu, which is made from soybeans.

But have you ever tried tofu, "atsu-age?"

You may think that "atsu-age" is only used in salads, soups, and other healthy dishes.

But it makes a great substitute for meat or fish.

"Atsu-age" is easy to make at home, so I hope you'll have fun cooking with it.

Tokyo, an Asian city with the largest metropolitan population in the world, the boundaries between old Japan and futuristic Japan are blurred in this metropolis.

The food here is a fusion of cuisine, not just from around Asia, but around the globe.

In this program, Tokyo-based culinary artist Rika Yukimasa demonstrates the current trends from her own kitchen near Tokyo Bay.

Our co-host is Patrick Harlan, widely known in Japan as Pakkun.

Rika's Tokyo Cuisine.

Today, recipes featuring "atsu-age" tofu.

"Atsu-age" is what we call thick, deep-fried tofu.

Tofu is low in calories but rich in protein and vegetable fat, which makes it a popular choice among people who want to maintain a healthy diet.

It is eaten chilled, with toppings and soy sauce.

And it is a popular ingredient in miso soup.

Tofu is eaten in many ways.

Made from soy beans and pristine water, tofu is a key element in Japanese food culture.

So today, we're talking about tofu.

Super popular.

- People eat it almost every day here.
- Right.

- So there are a couple of different kinds of tofu, right?
- Yes.

There are so many.

But I have brought these two standard types.

- One is soft and one is hard.
- Right.

- We call it "momen" tofu and "kinu" tofu.
- Right.

- So "kinu" is the soft, creamy one probably has a little bit more water, right?
- Right.

And the "momen," which is the firmer one is pressed longer. So the more the water drains out.

- Exactly.
- Great.

Since we're going to deep-fry the tofu, it's best to use firm tofu, which has less moisture and is less likely to crumble.

And sometimes in America, for example, you sell "momen" tofu, but it's very firm.

Even if you buy "kinu" tofu, it's firm enough.

And if you want to try Japanese style tofu, I would choose either soft or firm.

Not extra firm.

- Okay.
- Yes.

- Extra firm might be a little too hard.
- Yes.

Today, I'm going to show you how to make "atsu-age."

- You fry them and they become really crispy outside.
- Right.

So here in Japan, we just buy "atsu-age" in the local supermarket.

I didn't realize you can make it from scratch.

Is that hard?

No, it's very easy.

And it tastes completely different from regular "atsu-age."

- Right?
- Yes. It's another dish.

The first thing you need to do is to drain and remove the moisture from the tofu.

Okay.

- So we need to use the microwave.
- Great.

Tofu contains a lot of water, so you need to remove the excess moisture before frying.

A quick and easy way to do this is to use a microwave.

How many minutes?

- About 6 minutes.
- All right.

Here we go.

After about 6 minutes, the tofu should have shrunk to about two-thirds of its original size.

Pat dry with paper towels and set it aside to cool.

Tofu is usually sold in this size, this block.

- And it's a little bit too big to fry.
- Okay.

So you need to cut this drained tofu.

I'm going to cut into six pieces.

- Look how much firmer it is.
- Yeah.

Just a little time in the microwave and a little time wrapped in a towel, makes a big difference.

Exactly.

All right.

- Are we ready to fry it?
- Mm-hmm.

Let's fry.

So, first of all, you have to prepare the oil.

It looks like we're using quite a bit of oil.

Yes, this time.

- But if you don't want to use it, you can also use frying pan.
- Okay.

- You'll have less oil.
- Okay.

You can use just regular vegetable oil.

And then, this is the drained tofu.

Okay.

What's important is, since we're not coating with any flour, We want to kind of pat dry the surface of tofu gently.

You don't want to have water splashing into your eyes.

It will definitely splatter if you have water on the surface.

Pat dry, you can then put into the oil.

Preheat the oil to 160 degrees Celsius and deep fry the tofu gently over low heat.

And you don't need to move it around. You just wait.

- Okay. If you're cooking it in a frying pan, you're going to flip it a couple of times, right?
- Mm-hmm, right.

So you have a block shaped like a... you know, a dice.

- Do you want to cook all six sides?
- Yes.

Tofu crumbles easily, so let the surface firm up before flipping the slices over.

Okay. How long?

Well... until it gets golden color.

Depending on the temperature of the oil or the size of the pan.

- The duration of time you have to cook will be different.
- Okay.

- So let's wait.
- Right.

And remember, you can eat tofu raw, so it's not a problem if it's a little bit over or under from.

Once they start to brown, move them around so that they don't burn.

Wow.

What a beautiful, golden brown color.

Beautiful.

So that took 7, 8 minutes, I guess.

Yes. 7 minutes.

But it doesn't matter how long it takes as long as it is a beautiful golden brown. Is that all right?

And it just tastes so different.

- I think that by frying, the "umami" flavor of soybeans is much enhanced.
- Right.

Tofu. We don't really think of it that way, But it actually has a lot of "umami" and a lot of it's kind of sweet, even though there's very few calories.

When you fry it, all of those delicious flavors just get that much more condensed. It's amazing.

So, see? This is so easy. Just fry them.

Beautiful.

- Okay, let's make the appetizer.
- All right.

First, a simple but popular way to enjoy "atsu-age."

That looks so good.

Yes, it does.

So let's get plated.

I'm going to use some "shiso" leaves.

If you don't have "shiso" leaves you can also substitute with the basil.

And you have to tightly roll it, hold it really tight, then you can cut it into really thin slices.

And it's really good if you know various ways to enjoy tofu, especially if you're a vegetarian, you want to intake protein.

- Tofu is a great way to get protein.
- Yes.

- Without cutting back on flavor.
- Mm.

Looks good.

Gorgeous.

And if you have bonito flakes like this one, It's very nice.

It gives you a very good nice flavor to tofu.

Top with shredded "shiso" and grated ginger and it's ready to serve.

Let's eat "atsu-age" piping hot.

- Wow freshly fried "atsu-age."
- Yes.

- You can pour a little bit of soy sauce on top.
- Okay.

It's so different from regular "atsu-age."

Right.

How is it?

Just so good.

- Not too hot?
- No.

All right, I'll give it a shot.

It's gorgeous, isn't it?

And you can tell how crispy it is when you touch it with your chopsticks.

Oh... looks amazing.

"Itadakimasu."

- Oh, I love "atsu-age."
- Yeah.

It's so creamy inside, crispy outside.

- Yeah.
- Perfect.

- It's kind of like you're almost eating blanc manger.
- Mm. Sure.

- Or like the brulee topping.
- Yes.

That crispy outside with the lovely creamy inside.

- It's just perfect combination.
- Right.

And the tofu itself has sort of a delicate flavor.

But the strong "shoga," it means ginger and the "shiso" leaves and the soy sauce, you get a little bit of strong flavor, and then its nice, mild flavor to balance it out.

- It's just wonderful.
- Yeah.

- And you could try this with different flavors, too, right?
- Yes, exactly.

You can put some cheese on top and put some tomato sauce.

- Like an "atsu-age" pizza.
- Yes.

You can also add some avocado on top.

- Yeah, strong flavors of avocado.
- Right.

You can do anything.

It's just like bread or rice. It goes great with any flavor.

Just experiment and find what you like.

So what's next?

I'm going to make a simmered dish that makes the most of the flavor of "atsu-age."

Wonderful.

Well the simmered "atsu-age" is a taste of home that brings back fond memories.

One bite and the flavor bursts into your mouth. It's really good.

You've got my mouth watering already.

But is this one of those dishes which you remember your mom making?

Yes.

My mother used to, first of all, make a lot of miso soup with the "atsu-age."

Oh, yeah, we love that in my house, too.

That's kind of like typical number one dish.

Then she used to simmer with "hakusai" or cabbage.

- So are we going to use our freshly fried homemade "atsu-age" this time?
- No, no.

Because we want to eat it as is, I'm going to use the store version.

Great. So store-bought "atsu-age," super popular in Japan.

You can probably get it at most Asian markets around the world, or you can buy it online.

Here's a tip for simmering "atsu-age."

Since it's deep-fried, the surface is coated in oil.

If you simmer it as is, the oil will prevent it from soaking up the seasoned "dashi."

So, boil a pot of water, turn off the heat, and let the "atsu-age" soak for 2-3 minutes to remove any surface oil.

This will allow the "atsu-age" to soak up the flavorful "dashi" and keep the soup from becoming oily.

You know, what makes a difference is if you can just cut it and put it in the dashi soup and cook it and simmer it.

However, if you do this process, the soup will taste better.

- You'll have less oil, and it will soak up the broth better, right?
- Right.

- But if you were just buying store bought "atsu-age" and say grilling it or frying it, then you don't need to do this, right?
- No.

- Because when you grill, the excess oil will come out.
- Right.

So it's not necessary.

"Hakusai" or you can also use regular cabbage.

- Regular cabbage?
- Yeah. Tastes really good.

And you cut this hard part.

And then cut in half.

Just bite sizes.

"Hakusai" is great vegetable, which I had never heard of before I came to Japan.

We use it in all sorts of dishes.

- But mostly I think "nabe," hot pots.
- Mm-hmm.

If boiled down, you can just eat tons of yummy vegetables and it soaks up all flavor.

- It's just wonderful.
- Yeah.

- And I'm placing that in the bottom of the pan.
- Okay.

- This is an earthen pot. My mom gave it to me.
- Aww.

She didn't want to give it to me, but I begged 100 times and she gave it to me.

- And you can use just regular hot pot.
- Okay.

- And would be a thick one.
- Okay.

- And then, I would use... I'm using this pork belly.
- Okay.

- Have a little bit more fat.
- Yes.

- And slice it... slice into really thin.
- Mm-hmm.

- But if you cannot get it, you can also use bacon.
- Oh, bacon!

- Bacon works really good.
- Okay.

What if you're using, like, pork loin with a little less fat?

Well, then you should only blanch it.

- Okay, so don't add it now, add it at the very end.
- Mm-hmm.

- Pork belly won't get hardened.
- Right.

However, the loin, it gets hardened really quickly.

- So I would use it like "Shabu-shabu" in a way.
- Oh, okay.

Cover the pork with another layer of cabbage.

This is the kind of dish my mom used to make when she couldn't find any money anymore, in the end of the month because relatively cheap, this Chinese cabbage and pork.

Sure.

And "atsu-age."

Not very expensive ingredients, but you make this for like a dinner party.

- People are going to be impressed.
- Yes.

It's a nice, my-Japanese-home-cooking kind of dish.

- So you're preparing this before you actually turn on the heat or add the "dashi."
- Right.

Okay.

It seems like you're putting too much vegetables, but when you simmer, the amount of vegetable becomes almost like one-third.

- It just cooks down, doesn't it?
- Yeah. It does.

- Becomes softer, becomes sweeter, easier to eat.
- Mm-hmm.

It's just incredible.

That's it for the prep.

Now, let's season the ingredients.

So now we have the whole construction completed.

How do we simmer it?

Well, so today I'm going to teach you the rule of sauce called "number 16."

"Sauce, number 16." Okay.

Meaning, if you have one portion of seasoning, you want to have a soup that's 16 times as much as the seasoning.

Okay, so you have seasonings and then multiply by 16 for how much broth you want to add. Okay.

It's really easy.

First, you put a "mirin" or sake.

Okay? "Mirin" is just sort of like a sweet sake.

- Two tablespoons, which is 30ml.
- All right.

Soy sauce. 30ml.

- And probably a pinch of salt, just a little bit.
- All right.

- So this is where the rule of 16 comes in.
- Right.

We have 30 milliliters of the seasonings of soy sauce and "mirin."

So 30 times 16 is...?

Is 480.

Exactly.

- If I did the math.
- Yes.

Rika is using a granulated "dashi" made from "kombu" and "katsuobushi" skipjack shavings.

Just dissolve the granules in water to make a delicious "dashi."

It comes in really handy.

Follow Rika's "Rule of 16" and multiply the amount of seasonings by 16 to calculate the amount of "dashi" you need to make a delicious simmered dish.

"Mirin," soy sauce, granulated "dashi" powder: these are just things you should have in your pantry.

- They're super easy to use. And we use them all the time.
- Yes.

- And we're going to turn the heat to high.
- Mm-hmm.

Place the lid and wait.

Great.

- In the meantime, let's cut this "atsu-age."
- Oh, yeah, I forgot. We had an item, "atsu-age."

So that goes in at the end.

This one is very soft.

So you want to keep the shape.

So you put in the end.

- When something is boiling, the bubbles move it around, right?
- Right.

- It will actually cause the food to disintegrate if you add it too early.
- Mm-hmm.

Okay.

We're going to cut into this.

So here in Japan, we have "atsu-age," which is a thick slice of tofu, which has been fried.

And we have "abura-age" which is the thinner version.

- Could we do this with "abura-age?"
- Yes, you can do that.

It smells so good in here.

I love the smell of pork and cabbage, or in this case Chinese cabbage cooking, plus all the flavors in the broth.

- Oh, it's got to be so good.
- Yes.

So what do we do now?

We're going to open it.

Woo. Nice.

And then, place the "atsu-age."

Just need to simmer a bit.

- Really? So we just add the "atsu-age" at the very end?
- Mm-hmm.

Interesting.

Tofu is one of these things. If you cook too much, then it's sort of like dries out.

So you don't want to overcook the tofu.

Okay. Good to know.

- Is that true for miso soup, too?
- Yes.

- So add it at the end?
- Mm-hmm.

Okay.

Okay. Looks good.

And once those tofu cubes are heated up, it's done.

Nice.

- And this is a dish which, once you've made it, you can eat it several days in a row, right?
- Right.

- It gets better and better and better.
- Yeah.

I think it's a very good dish.

If you don't want to go with pork, you can also go with chicken.

- Or you don't need to put anything.
- Okay.

- Choose your meat, or making the vegetarian option as well.
- Right.

Great.

Many of Rika's recipes are like this.

Once you have the recipe down, you can sort of change the ingredients to fit your own budget and where you live, and what's in season.

- And of course, the people like to eat.
- Yes.

Okay. So this is done.

Yay!

"Atsu-age" simmered in a hot pot.

And now, for the moment, I've been waiting for.

"Itadakimasu."

So let me try this "atsu-age."

Oh, I notice we have the "shichimi," a mixed pepper blend here.

The soup is delicious as-is, but you can give it a little kick by adding "ponzu," "shichimi" seven spice, or "sansho" pepper.

- So just shake it on the whole dish.
- Mm-hmm.

Looks wonderful. Add just a little more.

Oh, so yummy.

Even though you add it just at the end, it has all that juicy pork flavor and the sweetness from the cabbage as well.

It's really soaked up the flavors of the broth. Mmm.

- And even though it's fried, it's not greasy or oily.
- Right.

I guess that's the magic of the de-oiling process in the boiling water.

This is really good.

Excellent idea.

Mmm.

Amazing isn't it?

- It soaked up a really flavorful soup made with both "dashi" and pork.
- Right.

Yeah. It goes really well instead of just having broth with fish.

- You combined with meat.
- Right.

And it makes it a complexity.

Very good.

It fills you out. So if you're on a diet, it's a great recipe to make.

I agree.

- So this "atsu-age" and now that we've learned how to make it and use it in our "nimono" or simmer dish here.
- Right.

What else can we do with it?

You can cut into small pieces and put it in rice and cook together.

Right. Right. "Takikomi gohan?"

"Takikomi gohan."

The other famous one would be "udon."

When you cook the "udon" noodle, you just simmer this "atsu-age", and place on top.

- So you eat almost like a protein.
- Sure.

The other one I want you to try is a grilled "atsu-age" cut into pieces that you mix with a salad and green vegetables.

Such as like sometimes I do with the spinach.

And then combine with sushi vinegar and sesame oil.

- And it tastes really good.
- Yeah.

- So this salad, "atsu-age" salad is recommended.
- Sure.

- Definitely experiment and find your own favorite "atsu-age" dish.
- Yes.

I hope you enjoyed watching today's edition of Dining with the Chef.

Tofu is nutritious and low in calories which makes it a staple in healthy cooking.

But deep-fried tofu has much more flavor and is much more satisfying.

There are so many types of tofu and so many ways to enjoy it.

You can even make a full course meal with various tofu dishes.

So today it was another amazing cooking experience and dining experience.

- Thank you so very much.
- Thank you.

And thank you all for joining us here on Dining with the Chef.

We will see you again soon next time.

Bye bye.

I've got to keep eating. It's so good.

We hope you'll try Rika's recipes at home.

Okay, here's a quick review of how to make "atsu-age" from scratch.

The key is to remove the excess oil.

A quick and easy way to do this is to use a microwave.

After microwaving the tofu, pat dry with paper towels.

There's no need to coat the tofu.

Fry gently in oil heated to 160 degrees Celsius.

Remove as soon as the surface is golden brown.

Serve with toppings such as shredded "shiso" leaves or grated ginger, and drizzle with soy sauce.

Now for a simmered dish.

When using store-bought "atsu-age," it's best to remove the excess oil by soaking in hot water.

This will make it easier for it to soak up the seasoned "dashi."

Place the cabbage and pork in a heavy-bottomed pot.

Add 30ml each of soy sauce and "mirin," then multiply by 16 to calculate the amount of "dashi" you need.

It's Rika's fool-proof "Rule of 16!"

Add the "atsu-age" at the very end.

They only need to be warmed up.

The "atsu-age" soaks up the soup and is full of flavor.

Wonderful.

Why not discover the wide uses of this healthy and delicous food, Tofu!

You'll be glad you did...