Yudofu is the easiest Japanese hot pot ever. In just 5 minutes, you’ll enjoy delicious hot tofu that’s healthy, light and full of satisfying flavour. Perfect as a tasty side dish or snack.
Why We Love This
Japanese hot tofu is nourishing, comforting, as well as quick and easy to prepare. It’s also low in calories and packed with nutritious flavour.
And if it’s cold outside, yudofu will warm you up from the inside out.
While tofu doesn’t have a strong flavour on its own, the balance of tamari, dashi and mirin in the homemade Japanese tsuyu sauce adds a mouthwatering umami flavour.
Serve it alongside fluffy rice, some homemade Japanese pickles, and a nourishing bowl of miso soup and you’ll be feeling happy and healthy in no time!
What is Yudofu?
Yudofu is a simple Japanese dish consisting of silken tofu simmered in hot water until it’s warm and nourishing. This traditional winter dish is usually served in a Japanese clay pot called a donabe, which can also be used to cook udon noodle soup.
At Japanese restaurants, the hot simmered tofu is usually served in the centre of the table just like Shabu Shabu hot pot, where diners can serve themselves. At home, you can make it in a regular pot and serve out individual portions before adding the sauces and garnishes to your liking.
The tsuyu sauce served with boiled tofu is similar in flavour profile to mentsuyu dipping sauce, but you can also enjoy it with other Japanese sauces like ponzu (citrus soy) or goma dare (creamy sesame).
What You’ll Need
Yudofu is super simple to make with a handful of ingredients and about 5 minutes to prepare! Here’s what you’ll need:
- Nori Sheet / Kombu Seaweed – Traditionally, the tofu is simmered in water with a slice of kombu seaweed (dried kelp) to add flavour. This can sometimes be hard to source where we live, so we like to place a sheet of nori (roasted seaweed usually used to make sushi) underneath the tofu to stop it sticking to the pan as it simmers. While nori doesn’t add flavour, it does make it easier to take the boiled tofu out of the pan. If you can’t find either of these nearby, you may be able to buy them online.
- Dashi Stock – To keep things simple we use dashi stock powder dissolved in hot water to flavour the sauce. It’s available in two main varieties – hon dashi (a more intense flavoured stock made with seaweed and bonito flakes) or kombu dashi (seaweed only stock).
- Tamari / Soy – Tamari is a Japanese soy sauce made without wheat, so it’s naturally gluten free. It has a purer, more balanced, less salty flavour than regular soy sauce, which means it’s also great for dipping Japanese gyoza dumplings / potstickers.
- Mirin – This is a sweet rice wine for cooking. If you can’t find it at your supermarket, you can omit or add in a 1/2 tsp of sugar instead. You can sometimes find this in regular supermarkets, otherwise head to your nearest Asian grocer or online.
Wandercook’s Tips
- Tofu – Soft tofu can fall apart very easily, especially when you’re trying to coax it out of a plastic container. We recommend draining the liquid first before turning the tofu out onto your palm. From here you can slice the tofu into smaller individual blocks while it’s resting on your palm. Please be extra careful with the knife so you don’t cut yourself. You can always place the tofu down on a chopping board to cut it if you’re unsure. Simmer the tofu carefully to help keep its shape intact.
- Don’t Over-Boil – Avoid letting the tofu come to the boil or it can crumble apart.
FAQs
Once you’ve transferred the hot tofu to an individual bowl or plate, and added your chosen garnish and sauce, you can eat it with chopsticks or a spoon if you prefer.
Both dishes consist of tofu served with a subtle, umami-infused sauce known as tsuyu. In yudofu, soft tofu is simmered in hot water, whereas in agedashi tofu, firm tofu is coated in potato starch and deep fried, so it has a crispy coating. Both can be served as a side dish or snack.
Variations
- Sauces – Try the tofu with a drizzle of ponzu (citrus soy), goma dare (creamy sesame) or mentsuyu sauce.
- Garnish Ideas – Some traditional tofu garnishes include spring onions / green onions, finely sliced gari (pickled ginger), ginger paste, shredded daikon, thin slices of nori, wasabi paste or matcha salt.
- Add Spice – For extra flavour, serve with wasabi paste and shichimi togarashi (Japanese 7 spice mix).
- Add Heat – Serve with finely chopped kimchi and a drizzle of sesame oil.
- Cooling Summer Tofu – Instead of boiling the tofu, simply slice your fresh tofu into pieces. Garnish with spring onion, katsuoboshi (bonito flakes) and a drizzle of tamari or soy. This cold version is known as hiyayakko.
- Make it Vegan / Vegetarian – Use vegetarian kombu dashi instead of regular dashi, and omit the katsuoboshi.
- Add Vegetables – Simmer sliced carrot or wakame in the hot water along with the tofu.
- Make it a Meal – Serve with daikon pickles, Japanese salad and miso soup.
Serve your freshly made yudofu with these amazing Japanese recipes:
★ Did you make this recipe? Please leave a comment & star rating below!
Equipment
- Serving dishes
Ingredients
For the Tofu:
- 1 nori sheet
- 1 tub soft tofu approx 300 g, sliced into 4 pieces
For the Sauce:
- 2 tbsp tamari
- 2 tbsp mirin
- ½ tsp dashi powder dissolved in 2 tbsp water
For the Garnish:
- 1-2 spring onion / green onion finely sliced
- 1-2 tbsp bonito flakes / katsuobushi finely shaved bonito flakes
Instructions
- Line a small saucepan or frypan with a sheet of nori seaweed, then top with the tofu pieces. Gently pour over enough water to cover the tofu, then fire up your stove and simmer for around 6-8 minutes over a low to medium heat. Avoid letting the tofu come to the boil or it can crumble apart.
- Meanwhile, blend together the tamari, dashi stock dissolved in water, and mirin into a small bowl and give it a good stir.
- When the tofu is ready, use a slotted spoon or spatula to carefully transfer the tofu to small serving bowls. Discard the nori.
- Garnish the boiled tofu with spring onions and katsuoboshi, then spoon over with your blended tamari sauce.
Recipe Notes
- Tofu – This recipe calls for soft or silken tofu, but should work fine with firm tofu as well, it will just have a different texture. Soft tofu can fall apart very easily, especially when removing from the plastic container. We recommend draining the liquid first before turning the tofu out into your palm. From here you can slice the tofu into smaller individual blocks while it’s resting on your palm. Please be extra careful with the knife so you don’t cut yourself. You can always place the tofu down on a chopping board to cut it if you’re unsure. Simmer the tofu carefully to help keep its shape intact.
- Nori Sheet / Kombu Seaweed – Traditionally, the tofu is simmered in water with a slice of kombu seaweed (dried kelp) to add flavour. We place a sheet of nori underneath the tofu to stop it sticking to the pan as it simmers. While nori doesn’t add flavour, it does make it more convenient when taking the boiled tofu out of the pan. If you can’t find either of these nearby, you can buy them online.
- Dashi Stock – To keep things simple we use dashi stock powder dissolved in hot water to flavour the sauce. It’s available in two main varieties – hon dashi (a more intense flavoured stock made with bonito flakes) or kombu dashi (seaweed only stock).
- Tamari / Soy – Tamari is a Japanese soy sauce made without wheat, so it’s naturally gluten free. It has a purer, more balanced, less salty flavour than regular soy sauce, which means it’s also great for dipping your Japanese gyoza dumplings / potstickers.
- Mirin – This is a sweet rice wine for cooking. If you can’t find it at your supermarket, you can omit or add in a 1/2 tsp of sugar instead. You can sometimes find this in regular supermarkets, otherwise head to your nearest Asian grocer or online.
- Don’t Over-Boil – Avoid letting the tofu come to the boil or it can crumble apart.
- Variations:
- Sauces – Try the tofu with a drizzle of ponzu (citrus soy), goma dare (creamy sesame) or mentsuyu sauce.
- Garnish Ideas – Some traditional tofu garnishes include spring onions / green onions, finely sliced gari (pickled ginger), ginger paste, shredded daikon, thin slices of nori, wasabi paste or matcha salt.
- Add Spice – For extra flavour, serve with wasabi paste and shichimi togarashi (Japanese 7 spice mix)
- Add Heat – Serve with finely chopped kimchi and a drizzle of sesame oil.
- Cooling Summer Tofu – Instead of boiling the tofu, simply slice your fresh tofu into pieces. Garnish with spring onion, katsuoboshi (bonito flakes) and a drizzle of tamari or soy. This cold version is known as hiyayakko.
- Make it Vegan / Vegetarian – Use vegetarian kombu dashi instead of regular dashi, and omit the katsuoboshi.
- Add Vegetables – Simmer carrot or wakame in the hot water along with the tofu.
12 Comments
Natalie
07/08/2019 at 12:12 amThis looks so good . And it’s super easy to make with just a few ingredients. I must give this a try. Love tofu.
Wandercooks
16/08/2019 at 3:54 pmAbsolutely! It’s so fun finding new and exciting ways to cook with tofu. What’s one of your fav tofu recipes?
Pam
06/08/2019 at 11:13 pmWow! This recipe was an education for me. But, I do love learning about new foods so this is great! Thank you.
Wandercooks
16/08/2019 at 3:53 pmThere’s so much to explore in the world of food – hope you enjoy your kitchen adventures!
Amanda Wren-Grimwood
06/08/2019 at 9:43 pmI am just getting to like tofu so this looks like a great recipe, full of flavour and lots of ideas too!
Wandercooks
16/08/2019 at 3:53 pmThat’s awesome! Tofu definitely grows on you too – the more you try it, the more you’ll love it!
Danielle Wolter
06/08/2019 at 8:11 pmSo I have this extra tofu in my fridge and I am totally making this. Loving the flavors so much! We order this at Japanese restaurants sometimes and love it!
Wandercooks
16/08/2019 at 3:19 pmPerfect! 🙂 If we have a bit leftover, we love chopping it up and popping it in a miso soup or a stir fry!
Farah
06/08/2019 at 6:03 pmNever would have thought tofu could sound so good! Looks delightful
Wandercooks
16/08/2019 at 3:18 pmTofu is a crafty little ingredient! Once you start experimenting it just gets better and better. 🙂
Maki
12/05/2017 at 8:29 pmI was just trying to find recipe of Sanwin Makin (Semorina Cake) and eventually reached out your site.
Since I am Japanese/ Burmese, brought up in Yangon many years ago.
Sanwin Makin is the taste of home for me and enjoyed your article with smile (Now Yangon has changed dramatically in these days but what you experienced is of almost my memory !).
This simple recipe also caught my attention and found slighly strange for me about using Yakinori.
Yaki(roasted) Nori(seaweed) is not used for soup of this dish because Yakinori is expected to eat with rice etc.-to enjoy its crispy texture but never be boiled. Instead we use a sheet of Konbu seaweed to make tasty stock as you mentioned.
For the garnish, Ginger paste/ Yakinori cut into strings would be nice option. Korean pickle (Kimchi-cut into small pieces) dizzled with small amount of sesame oil is one of my favourates.
The dish is made during winter but not in summer.
In summer we have a cold version, just take out from plastic container and cut into pieces then garnish with what you like and dizzled with tamari source.
Wandercooks
17/05/2017 at 8:32 amHi Maki, thank you so much for taking the time to write to us. We’re so happy to hear our Semolina Cake brought back good memories for you. Thank you for letting us know about the Yakinori as well – unfortunately for us and a lot of our readers it can be very difficult to source konbu – so we use sheet seaweed. In this instance, it wasn’t for flavour for dashi stock but for avoiding the tofu sticking to the bottom of the pan. 🙂
That’s a fantastic idea for the kimchi on top with sesame oil – we will be trying this next time we make it – thank you!! It’s winter here at the moment, so we’re enjoying the warm meal but we’ll also try your idea for the summer version when the weather warms up.
Thanks again for stopping by Maki – happy cooking!