Glossary - Ingredients

Aburaage/Thin deep-fried tofu

Thinly sliced deep-fried tofu, great for all kinds of sides

Details

Thinly sliced tofu with the moisture removed, then deep fried. "Aburaage" (thin deep-fried tofu) can then be grilled and eaten with soy sauce, or used in soups, stews, or on cooked rice. It can also be opened like a pocket and stuffed with sushi rice to make "inarizushi".

Nutrition

Contains vegetable proteins and a bunch of nutrients from soybeans like soy isoflavone and soy saponin, just like regular tofu. Also rich in calcium! Rinse the outside with boiling water to reduce oil and lower fat content and calories.

Storage

It will expire in 3-4 days after refrigerating. If not using immediately, cut into short pieces before freezing since the oil oxidizes quickly.

Cooking Basics

Tofu (deep-fried) - removing excess oil

Since these days high-quality cooking oils are used for deep-frying, it is not always necessary to remove excess oil. However, remove excess oil if there is an odor, and when you want the tofu to thoroughly soak up flavor. For quickly simmered dishes, place the deep-fried tofu into a strainer and pour boiled water all over it. For inari sushi (sometimes called inarizushi, stuffed fried tofu pouches) and simmered dishes with deep flavor, place the deep-fried tofu into boiling water and allow to boil for about 5 minutes before using.