Hiyayakko
Cold tofu with ginger, spring onion and soy. Ten minutes, four ingredients, and it depends entirely on the tofu.
Photograph credit: Hiyayakko with bonito flakes and welsh onion 2 by Dllu · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia · this resized copy is shared under the same licence
Hiyayakko, Step by Step
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Drain the tofu and cut it into 4 blocks.
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Sit the blocks on kitchen paper for 10 minutes to draw the surface water off.
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Chill 4 small bowls or plates in the freezer for 5 minutes.
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Grate the ginger just before serving.
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Lift each block onto a chilled plate with a fish slice.
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Top with grated ginger, then spring onion.
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Scatter the bonito flakes over — they will move in the heat rising from the plate.
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Add the sesame seeds and shiso if using.
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Pour the soy sauce (or tamari) and sesame oil over at the table, not before.
Related guide: Ingredient substitutions.
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Small Things That Help
- Drain on paper for ten minutes.
- Chill the plates.
- Soy at the table so the tofu does not sit in it.
Common Substitutions & Variations
- Out of spring onions? A small regular onion, finely sliced, or a few chives stirred in at the end both cover the job.
- If you only have ground ginger, a quarter-teaspoon for each tablespoon of fresh is the ratio usually given; it tastes warmer and less bright than the fresh root.
What to Serve with Hiyayakko
- Cold beer
- Edamame
- Grilled fish
Storing & Reheating Hiyayakko
Assemble to order. Undressed tofu keeps as its packet says.
The Numbers per Serving
No nutrition figures are given for this recipe: they cannot be worked out reliably from its ingredient list (some ingredient lines cannot be read). Why some recipes have none.
Gluten-free when made with tamari rather than light soy sauce.
Your notes on this recipe
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Compiled by Turab
Checked by script for timings, diet labels and nutrition arithmetic. How the recipes are checked. Found a mistake? Tell us.
First published ; last changed .