It seems tofu gets a bad rap in the low-carb/keto community and I’m not exactly sure why! It’s a staple in many Japanese (and Asian) cuisines, has very little carbs, is a great source of protein and also contains prebiotic fiber! You know, the good bacteria in your digestive system that keeps things in check.
Furthermore, recent studies have seemed to debunk the whole isoflavones causing conflicts with estrogen discussion. So there really shouldn’t be any reason not to enjoy this Asian staple more often with recipes like this authentic Japanese tofu or yudofu!
Also, if you use organic tofu, it negates most of the ‘negative’ claims made about the product. So like my mom always said, eat more tofu with dishes like the Hot Japanese Tofu – Yudofu!
In traditional Japanese cuisines, there are 2 main ways to prepare authentic Japanese tofu depending on the seasons – as you probably guessed, hot and cold!
Since it’s the winter time right now, this is the one we’ll share with everyone today here on LCA. This classic dish is pretty easy to prepare, full of flavors, and will definitely keep that tummy warm!
The cold version is pretty much the same steps, but you just stick it in the fridge for a couple of minutes and let it cool down before serving.
Either way, you can’t go wrong with tofu soaked in Japanese flavors of citrus soy umami accompanied with umeboshi and a ginger fire finish!
So to start, we prepare the tofu by simply boiling in hot water for about 5 minutes. In the meantime, we need to prepare all the toppings and the sauce, which just consists of concentrated Dashi / Ponzu mix. Once everything is done, you just top each tofu with your selected toppings and pour the sauce over. That’s it and you have yourself some authentic hot Japanese tofu!
All this at a very low-carb/keto friendly ~1g net carb and over 5g of protein per serving! Not too shabby if you ask me!
For this one, the special ingredients you will need are Soft Tofu, Bonito Flakes, Ponzu, and umeboshi. You can pick up everything at a local Asian supermarket or everything aside from the umeboshi on Amazon. On Amazon, you can use the paste version of the umeboshi, which would substitute fine for this dish.
Now, let’s get started!
Prepping Time 5M
Cook Time 10M
Total Time 15M
Net Carb/Serv ~1g
Servings 2
Ingredients
- 6oz Soft Tofu
- 1 tbsp Bonito Flakes
- 1/4 Cup Water
- 1 tbsp Ponzu
- 1/4 Inch of Ginger (topping)
- 1 Umeboshi (topping)
- 1/2 Stalk Green Onion (topping)
- 1 tbsp Bonito Flakes (topping)
Directions
1) Gather all the ingredients.
2) In a stove top pot, fill enough water to cover the tofu. Bring to a boil on high.
3) In another stove top pot, add 1/4 cup water and 1 tbsp of Bonito Flakes. Bring to boil on high heat. Once boiling, remove from heat and let it steep for at least 5 minutes.
4) While waiting for water to boil, cut Soft Tofu into desired size cubes.
5) Grate ginger with a grater and set aside.
6) De-pit umeboshi, finely dice and set aside.
7) Finely chop green onions and set aside.
8) Once water is boiling from step 2), carefully add tofu and boil for 5 minutes.
9) In the meantime, strain the Bonito Flakes with a strainer and use a spoon to squeeze out any excess liquids into a holding bowl. Add Ponzu into Dashi, mix and set aside.
10) Once Soft Tofu is done boiling, transfer hot Soft Tofu to a serving bowl, top with ginger, green onions, umeboshi, a pinch of Bonito Flakes. Pour sauce over Soft Tofu and enjoy while hot.
Hope you enjoy this low-carb/keto Hot Japanese Tofu – Yudofu!
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Hot Japanese Tofu - Yudofu
Ingredients
- 6 oz Tofu Soft
- 1 tbsp Bonito Flakes
- 1/4 Cup Water
- 1 tbsp Ponzu
- 1/4 Inch Ginger topping
- 1 Piece Umeboshi topping
- 1/2 Stalk Green Onion topping
- 1 tbsp Bonito Flakes topping
Instructions
- Gather all the ingredients.
- In a stove top pot, fill enough water to cover the tofu. Bring to a boil on high.
- In another stove top pot, add 1/4 cup water and 1 tbsp of Bonito Flakes. Bring to boil on high heat. Once boiling, remove from heat and let it steep for at least 5 minutes.
- While waiting for water to boil, cut Soft Tofu into desired size cubes.
- Grate ginger with a grater and set aside.
- De-pit umeboshi, finely dice and set aside.
- Finely chop green onions and set aside.
- Once water is boiling from step 2), carefully add tofu and boil for 5 minutes.
- In the meantime, strain the Bonito Flakes with a strainer and use a spoon to squeeze out any excess liquids into a holding bowl. Add Ponzu into Dashi, mix and set aside.
- Once Soft Tofu is done boiling, transfer hot Soft Tofu to a serving bowl, top with ginger, green onions, umeboshi, a pinch of Bonito Flakes. Pour sauce over Soft Tofu and enjoy while hot.
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