Goma (sesame) tofu — Eggplant Diary

Goma tofu is one of my favorite foods in Kyoto. One of the main ingredients is Kudzu root starch.

Kudzu roots have been used to treat various conditions, including diabetes, alcoholism, diarrhea, fever, gastroenteritis, poor bone density, and neurodegenerative diseases. In addition, research has shown that Kudzu extract is rich in isoflavonoid, which protects blood vessel linings from oxidative damage and early cell death.

(Ullian, 2018)

Recipe:

Ingredients:

400ml dashi* (need to prepare a day before)

4 TBS tahini

50g Kudzu starch

1/4 tsp salt

*dashi

5g dried kombu

10g dried shitake mushrooms

400 ml filtered water

soak dried kombu and dried shitake mushrooms in filtered water (overnight in the fridge)

Instructions:

Prepare an ice bath, place ice and water in a large glass mixing bowl

Place kudzu, salt, tahini, dashi in a blender, blend until smooth

Transfer mixture to a pot, bring on medium-high heat

Scrape the bottom of the pot with a wooden spatular until curds form

Turn the heat to medium-low, keep scraping the bottom, mixing vigorously until its very thick

Oil a large ice-cream scoop with sesame oil, use the spatular to put the mixture into the ice-cream scoop

Release the mixture from the ice-cream scoop into the ice-bath

Let them sit in the ice bath to solidify (I usually place them in the fridge for 20mins to 1hour)

Drain the goma tofu, place them on the kitchen paper towel

Ready to serve with soy sauce and wasabi

Enjoy!

Reference:

Ullian, Naomi (2018) Kudzu, Alcoholism, and the Case for Ecological Care, The Herbarium