Intro:
Method:
1. For this dish lets start by making the agedashi broth, to be able to make this broth we firstly need to make up a dashi stock. To make dashi add 5g of cleaned kombu and 200mls of water into a small saucepan then allow to soak for around 20 minutes off of the heat. Next add the pan to a medium simmer then slowly bring up to a boil. As soon as the water comes to a boil remove from the heat then add 5g bonito flakes. Allow the stock to infuse for around 10 minutes (almost as if it was like a pot of tea) then pass the broth through a fine sieve into another saucepan, now we have dashi stock.
2. To transform the dashi into agedashi stock, place the dashi back onto a medium heat then bring the stock up to a simmer. Next add 30mls of soy, 30mls of mirin and 30mls of sake. Simmer for approximately 10 minutes on a low heat and set aside and we now have the agedashi broth.
3. Now onto the tofu, for this dish I used medium firm tofu as it holds its shape far better during frying, however you could use silken tofu although its much more delicate to work with. Chop the tofu into around 5 cm cubes (you want largish cubes), next wrap the tofu in kitchen paper to remove some of the water content. Take care how long you keep the tofu in kitchen paper as you still want to reserve a little moisture in the tofu which will prevent it from being dry when cooked. Around 10 minutes covered in a paper towel should be cool.
4. While we’re waiting for the tofu we can prepare the lotus crisps, peel the lotus root then slice as thin as you possibly can. In a pan add around 200 ml of cooking oil then bring the temperature up to 180 degrees centigrade, next add the sliced lotus root and fry until golden brown. Remove from the pan and drain on a paper towel, season the crisps with a pinch of salt and curry powdr. Keep the oil as we can use this for the tofu.
