Saturday, October 30, 2010

Hiryuzu (stuffed fried tofu balls) in light dashi broth

I made Hiryuzu (stuffed fried tofu balls) the other night. People from Kanto region (including Tokyo) normally call it Ganmodoki. Hiryuzu is how it's called in Kansai region (including Kyoto and Osaka). I'm from Tokyo, but I like the sound of "Hiryuzu" (it was said to be named after Portuguese "filhos" - similar to donut, which was introduced in Japan by Portuguese in 18th century).

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Making Hiryuzu is not difficult, but you need to follow the process right. First, firm tofu (drained very well by using a weight) was mashed with mortar and pestle, and seasoning and grated yama-imo (Japanese moutain yam) was mixed in. Then, carrot, hijiki seaweed, thinly sliced gobo (burdock root) and shiso were mixed in and made into balls.

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They were deep-fried in the vegetable oil until nicely golden, and served with the light dashi broth. To enjoy, I topped it with grated daikon and minced mitsuba herbs. The freshly fried Hiryuzu was so fluffy and just wonderful. It's one of the very typical shojin (Buddhist style vegan) dishes and also very popular at home as well as restaurants (including izakaya!).

Here's my Hiryuzu recipe:

Hiryuzu (stuffed fried tofu balls)

10 oz firm tofu, drained well (by using a weight)
1 tablespoon light color soy sauce ("usukuchi shoyu")
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1-1.5 oz yama-imo (mountain yam), peeled and grated
2 tablespoons potato starch ("katakuriko")
1-1.5 oz carrot, sliced into short matchsticks
1-1.5 oz gobo (burdock root), sliced into short matchsticks, soaked in water for 5 minutes, then drained
1 tablespoon dry hijiki seaweed, rehydrated in water and drained
4 shiso leaves, thinly sliced
vegetable oil for deep-frying

3.5 oz shojin (vegan) dashi stock
2 tablespoons sake
1 tablespoon light color soy sauce ("usukuchi shoyu")
1 tablespoon mirin

some grated daikon and minced mitsuba herbs

1. By using a mortar and a pestle, mash the tofu until very smooth. Add the soy sauce, salt, and sesame oil and continue to mash, followed by yama-imo and potato starch.
2. When the mixture becomes smooth, add the carrot, gobo, hijiki and shiso leaves and mix well with a spatula. Divide the mixture into 6 and form each into a round disk shape.
3. Deep fry them at 350F oil until crisp golden outside (8-10 minutes).
4. Meanwhile, combine the dashi stock, sake, soy sauce, and mirin in a small pot, and heat through.
5. In an individual serving bowl pour some broth, add each Hiryuzu, and top with grated daikon and minced mitsuba.