砕き豆腐 Kudaki dōfu

Crumbled Tofu

#48 佳品 Fine

English Interpretation

Crumble tofu and press it through a sieve over simmered mountain yam. White and crumbled — an appearance with charm.

原文 · Original (1782)

豆腐を崩して、山の芋を煮詰めたる上に篩にかけるべし。白く、崩れたる姿、趣あり。

Transliteration

Tōfu wo kuzushite, yama no imo wo nitsumetaru ue ni furui ni kakeru beshi. Shiroku, kuzuretaru sugata, shumi ari.

Notes & Annotations

Kudaki (砕き) means 'to crush' or 'to crumble.' The NDL sources reference sifting through a metal sieve in connection with this recipe (recipe 54 in some numberings — there may be a discrepancy in recipe ordering between sources).

English Recipe

Ingredients

  • firm tofu 豆腐 1 block (350 g)
    一丁 Crumbled, then sieved
  • mountain yam (yamaimo) 山の芋 50 g, grated
    Simmered and reduced
  • dashi stock 出汁 100 ml

Method

Serves 2–3

1. Crumble firm tofu into rough pieces — not a smooth paste, but irregular chunks.
2. Grate 50 g fresh yamaimo and place in a small pot with 100 ml dashi.
3. Bring to a gentle simmer and cook for 5 minutes, stirring constantly. The yam will reduce slightly and thicken.
4. Pass the tofu pieces through a coarse metal sieve held over a bowl.
5. In a shallow bowl, layer the sieved tofu, then top with the reduced yam sauce.
6. Serve warm with a garnish of kinome or scallion.

The sieved texture creates a delicate, broken-rice-like appearance. The yam and tofu combine into a creamy, luxurious dish.