真の八杯豆腐
Shin no happaijōfu
Formal Eight-Cup Tofu
English Interpretation
Use kinugoshi tofu. Combine six parts water with one part sake and one part soy sauce, and heat. Add the tofu and remove before it floats to the surface.
原文 · Original (1782)
絹漉し豆腐を用ゐるべし。水六分に酒一分、醤油一分を合はせ、火に掛くべし。豆腐を入れ、浮き上がらぬうちに取り出して供すべし。
Transliteration
Kinugoshi dōfu wo mochiiru beshi. Mizu rokubu ni sake ichibu, shōyu ichibu wo awase, hi ni kaku beshi. Tōfu wo ire, ukiagaranu uchi ni toridashite kyō su beshi.
Notes & Annotations
The original text specifies using silken tofu, boiling 'six parts water to one part sake' with 'one part soy sauce,' removing tofu before floating. This is the refined counterpart of No. 7 (草の八杯豆腐).
English Recipe
Ingredients
-
silken tofu 絹漉し豆腐 1 block (350 g)一丁 Must be silken for this formal version
-
water 水 600 ml六分 6 parts of the 6:1:1 ratio
-
sake 酒 100 ml一分 1 part
-
soy sauce 醤油 100 ml一分 1 part
Method
Serves 2–3
1. Combine 600 ml water, 100 ml sake, and 100 ml soy sauce in a pot. This is the 6:1:1 ratio that defines the dish.
2. Cut silken tofu into large, elegant pieces — handle very gently.
3. Bring the broth to a simmer. Carefully lower the tofu in.
4. Watch the tofu closely. Just before the pieces begin to float (they will start to rise as they heat through), lift them out with a slotted spoon.
5. Serve immediately in warmed bowls with a little of the broth.
Timing is everything — removing the tofu just before it floats means it is heated through but still at its most delicate. This is the 'formal' version of eight-cup tofu, using silken tofu and precise proportions. Compare with the simpler No. 7.
1. Combine 600 ml water, 100 ml sake, and 100 ml soy sauce in a pot. This is the 6:1:1 ratio that defines the dish.
2. Cut silken tofu into large, elegant pieces — handle very gently.
3. Bring the broth to a simmer. Carefully lower the tofu in.
4. Watch the tofu closely. Just before the pieces begin to float (they will start to rise as they heat through), lift them out with a slotted spoon.
5. Serve immediately in warmed bowls with a little of the broth.
Timing is everything — removing the tofu just before it floats means it is heated through but still at its most delicate. This is the 'formal' version of eight-cup tofu, using silken tofu and precise proportions. Compare with the simpler No. 7.