Japanese · Appetizers

Hiyayakko

Cold tofu with ginger, spring onion and soy. Ten minutes, four ingredients, and it depends entirely on the tofu.

10 min total Serves 4 servings Easy
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Hiyayakko

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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  1. Drain the tofu and cut it into 4 blocks.

  2. Sit the blocks on kitchen paper for 10 minutes to draw the surface water off.

  3. Chill 4 small bowls or plates in the freezer for 5 minutes.

  4. Grate the ginger just before serving.

  5. Lift each block onto a chilled plate with a fish slice.

  6. Top with grated ginger, then spring onion.

  7. Scatter the bonito flakes over — they will move in the heat rising from the plate.

  8. Add the sesame seeds and shiso if using.

  9. Pour the soy sauce (or tamari) and sesame oil over at the table, not before.

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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.

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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 .