炒り豆腐 Iri dōfu

Scrambled Tofu

#85 妙品 Exquisite

English Interpretation

Crumble tofu finely by hand and stir-fry in sesame oil. Cut carrot and wood ear mushroom into thin strips and add. Crack in an egg, season with soy sauce and sugar, and stir-fry until the moisture is gone.

原文 · Original (1782)

豆腐を手にて細かく崩し、胡麻油にて炒るべし。人参、木耳を細く切りて加へ、卵を割り入れ、醤油、砂糖にて調味し、水気の失するまで炒り上ぐべし。

Transliteration

Tōfu wo te nite komakaku kuzushi, goma abura nite iru beshi. Ninjin, kikurage wo hosoku kirite kuwae, tamago wo wari-ire, shōyu, satō nite chōmi shi, mizuke no shissuru made iri-aguru beshi.

Notes & Annotations

Iri dōfu (炒り豆腐) remains a staple of Japanese home cooking today. The myōhin grade suggests the Edo-period version was more refined than the simple modern preparation.

English Recipe

Ingredients

  • firm tofu 豆腐 1 block (350 g)
    一丁 Crumbled by hand
  • sesame oil 胡麻油 1 tablespoon
  • carrot 人参 50 g, julienned
  • wood ear mushroom 木耳 a handful, rehydrated
  • egg 1
    Scrambled in at the end
  • soy sauce 醤油 2 tablespoons
  • sugar 砂糖 1 teaspoon

Method

Serves 2–3

1. Crumble firm tofu by hand into small, uneven pieces. Don't press first — the water will cook off.
2. Heat 1 tablespoon sesame oil in a large pan over medium-high heat.
3. Add the crumbled tofu and stir-fry, breaking up any large pieces.
4. After 2–3 minutes, add 50 g julienned carrot and a handful of rehydrated wood ear mushroom (kikurage), sliced thin.
5. Season with 2 tablespoons soy sauce and 1 teaspoon sugar.
6. Continue stir-frying until nearly all moisture has evaporated and the mixture is fluffy and dry.
7. Push everything to the side, crack 1 egg into the pan, scramble briefly, then fold into the tofu mixture.

Iri dōfu remains a standard of Japanese home cooking. The Exquisite grade suggests the Edo version was executed with more care than the weeknight version — finer cuts, better oil, perfect dryness.