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It seems tofu gets a bad rap in the low-carb/keto community and I am not exactly sure why! It is a staple in many Japanese (and Asian) cuisines, has very little carbs and is a great source of protein! Also, if you use organic tofu, it negates some of the ‘negative’ claims made about the product. So like my mom always said, eat more tofu! In traditional Japanese cuisines, there are 2 main ways to prepare tofu depending on the seasons – as you probably guessed, hot and cold! Since it is the winter time right now, this is the one we will share with everyone. This classic dish is pretty easy to prepare, full of flavors, and will definitely keep that tummy warm!
This dish is low-carb/keto with ~1 carbs per serving and over 5g of protein per serving! The dish rounds up traditional Japanese flavors of citrus soy umami accompanied with umeboshi and a ginger fire finish, plenty of flavors to keep you nice and occupied!
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.
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
- 1 Umeboshi
- 1/2 Stalk Green Onion
- Pinch of Bonito Flakes
Directions
1) Gather all the ingredients.
2) In a stove top pot, fill enough water to cover 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. We usually cut ours once horizontally to only use only 1 half (you can save the other half by putting it back into the same packaging and adding water to cover it). Then we cut the soft tofu into 6 pieces.
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 transfer liquid/dashi to 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 dashi mix over soft tofu and enjoy while hot.
Hope you enjoy this low-carb/keto Hot Umami Japanese Tofu (Yudofu)! If you are looking for other low-carb/keto to keep you nice and warm, be sure to check out our soup section in the Recipe Index!!
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Hot Umami Japanese Tofu (Yudofu)
Ingredients
- 6 oz Soft Tofu
- 1 tbsp Bonito Flakes
- 1/4 Cup Water
- 1 tbsp Ponzu
- 1/4 Inch Ginger
- 1 Piece Umeboshi
- 1/2 Stalk Green Onion
- 1 tbsp Bonito Flakes
Instructions
- Gather all the ingredients.
- In a stove top pot, fill enough water to cover 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. We usually cut ours once horizontally to only use only 1 half (you can save the other half by putting it back into the same packaging and adding water to cover it). Then we cut the soft tofu into 6 pieces.
- 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 transfer liquid/dashi to 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 dashi mix over soft tofu and enjoy while hot.
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