阿漕田楽 Akogi dengaku

Akogi Dengaku

Name: Akogi Dengaku (Akogi dengaku)
Cuisine: Japanese
Ingredients: 1 block (350 g) firm tofu; 2 tablespoons white miso; 2 tablespoons red miso; 1 teaspoon total sugar; to loosen miso mirin

#79 妙品 Exquisite

Firm Tofu Dengaku Mirin Miso

English Interpretation

Cut tofu into dengaku pieces, thread onto skewers. First spread white miso and grill, then spread red miso and grill, layering and grilling many times over. Like the repeated visits to the shores of Akogi.

原文 · Original (1782)

豆腐を田楽に切りて串に刺し、先づ白味噌を塗りて焼き、また赤味噌を塗りて焼き、幾度も重ねて塗り焼くべし。阿漕の浦に重ぬるが如し。

Transliteration

Tōfu wo dengaku ni kirite kushi ni sashi, mazu shiro miso wo nurite yaki, mata aka miso wo nurite yaki, ikutabi mo kasanete nuri-yaku beshi. Akogi no ura ni kasanuru ga gotoshi.

Notes & Annotations

Akogi (阿漕) refers to a beach in Ise where, according to legend, a fisherman was punished for repeatedly poaching in sacred waters. The name became a literary byword for 'repeated' or 'relentless' — possibly describing the repeated grilling or layering of miso.

English Recipe

Ingredients

firm tofu 豆腐 1 block (350 g)

一丁
white miso 白味噌 2 tablespoons

First layer
red miso 赤味噌 2 tablespoons

Second and subsequent layers
sugar 砂糖 1 teaspoon total

Split between both miso mixtures
mirin 味醂 to loosen miso

Method

Serves 2–4

1. Cut firm tofu into standard dengaku pieces (about 3 × 5 × 1.5 cm). Skewer on bamboo sticks.
2. First layer: spread white miso on one side, grill until lightly coloured.
3. Second layer: spread red miso over the white miso, grill again.
4. Repeat — the recipe calls for multiple layers built up by repeated grilling. Three or four rounds is good; the miso layers fuse together into a rich, complex glaze.
5. Serve hot from the grill.

White miso: 2 tbsp shiro miso + ½ tsp sugar + splash of mirin.
Red miso: 2 tbsp aka miso + ½ tsp sugar + splash of mirin.

The name references Akogi-ga-ura in Ise, where a fisherman was caught because he returned 'again and again' to poach — just as you return the tofu to the grill again and again. The layered miso creates a depth no single coating can achieve.