小倉豆腐 Ogura dōfu

Ogura Tofu

#66 奇品 Curious

English Interpretation

Cook azuki beans and crush them roughly. Pass tofu through a sieve and mix with the azuki. Steam in a steamer until set, cut into pieces, and serve. The name Ogura comes from the azuki beans.

原文 · Original (1782)

小豆を煮て粗く潰すべし。豆腐を裏漉しにし、小豆を混ぜ合はすべし。蒸し器にて蒸し固め、切り分けて供すべし。小倉の名は小豆に因む。

Transliteration

Azuki wo nite araku tsubusu beshi. Tōfu wo uragoshi ni shi, azuki wo maze-awasu beshi. Mushiki nite mushi-katame, kiri-wakete kyō su beshi. Ogura no na wa azuki ni chinamu.

Notes & Annotations

Ogura (小倉) can refer to the Ogura area near Arashiyama in Kyoto, famous in classical poetry, or to ogura-an (小倉餡), coarse red bean paste. The tofu likely incorporates azuki beans for a sweet-savory contrast.

English Recipe

Ingredients

  • silken tofu 豆腐 1 block (350 g)
    一丁 Sieved smooth
  • azuki beans 小豆 50 g dried
    Cooked and roughly mashed
  • salt a pinch
  • sugar 砂糖 1 teaspoon

Method

Serves 3–4

1. Cook 50 g dried azuki beans until tender but not falling apart. Drain and mash roughly — leave some texture.
2. Press silken tofu and push through a sieve.
3. Fold the mashed azuki into the sieved tofu. Add a pinch of salt and 1 teaspoon sugar.
4. Pour into a mold and steam for 20 minutes until set.
5. Cool, unmold, and cut into pieces.
6. Serve at room temperature, optionally with a light dashi sauce.

Ogura refers to the coarse azuki bean paste (ogura-an) familiar from Japanese sweets. Here the beans create a speckled pattern in the white tofu — savoury rather than sweet, but visually reminiscent of the famous confection.