Classic Tofu Salad (Hiya-Yakko)

Happy World Tofu Day!…well, to me it’s usually tofu day but today is a special…”WORLD” tofu day so I gotta celebrate it with my tofu dish!

 

When I started this blog, I thought the classic food could get boring, so I cooked some food with my original twist by ignoring all the simple, basic recipes. But as I learned classic recipes are loved because of their simplicity and thus appealing to people, I sometimes go back to simple recipes. 

 

The easy, simple, yet yummy tofu salad is from my childhood memory. Similar to Korean cuisine, Japanese dinner tables have a variety of side dishes like pickles, small bowls of food like salad or niku-jaga etc. As I recall my childhood, tofu salad was a regular item. To celebrate this world tofu day, I want to go back to basics and share the classic tofu salad recipe from my family. 

 

Ready to see the recipe? Let’s cook!

 

<Today’s Recipe>

Classic Tofu salad (Hiya-Yakko)

<Ingredients>

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• ½ pack of 1 lb tofu

Toppings

• A pinch of bonito flakes
• 1 stalk of green onion
• ½ inch of fresh ginger – grated
• ¼ teaspoon wasabi paste
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• Optional: 2~4 leaves of perilla(shiso) – chopped

 

<Directions>

1. Remove tofu from the packet and drain.
2. Place each and every toppings of tofu salad and pour soy sauce before eating. Enjoy!

 

<Cooking Tips>

• You can play with each toppings based on your preference. Some people just want either wasabi or ginger, perilla or green onion(depending on the season too) but the most popular combination of toppings are green onions and bonito flakes.
• For salad, I recommend silken tofu. While firm tofu is easy to handle with chopsticks, their bold flavor of soybeans and the lumpy texture is a little disturbing for salad.

Mmm, so good. I think my mind is back to childhood. I haven’t physically seen my mom for more than 5 years now, but I feel as if she is with me. 

 

This tofu salad is so simple, but people enjoy it by choosing the combination of each toppings, so how about doing some experiment and finding your own favorite? . 

 

<An Important Note about Chopsticks>

I have to admit. I made a huuuuge mistake for the pics today. Can anyone detect it?

 

 

 

Well, actually the chopsticks are not supposed to be put on the plate. It’s called  “watashi-bashi” and it is wrong for proper manners. Mine is pointing to front so it’s…maybe D+, but if it’s pointing back where your meal buddy is sitting,  It’s a super bad manner. 

 

I thought today’s pic came out so good, so I sent some to my mom and…I really thought her slipper was flying and about to hit me. Remember people, put your chopsticks on the chopstick holder. If there isn’t any, you’re supposed to make it by folding the paper stash which was wrapping the chopsticks. Time to learn origami too!

<Other Ways to Enjoy Tofu Salad>

Cold Tofu Gel Sauce

Tofu with Ginger Sesame Sauce

Tofu with Perilla Olive Oil

Tofu Patti Sando

Enjoy home cooking and your own creation of homemade food:)