America's Test Kitchen LogoCook's Country LogoCook's Illustrated LogoAmerica's Test Kitchen LogoCook's Country LogoCook's Illustrated Logo
The following text field filters the results that follow as you type.
no results available
Getting to Know Tofu
Recipe
40 min

Chilled Marinated Tofu

(12)
2 Comments
Loading...
Chilled Marinated Tofu
Author: Matthew Card

Recipe By Matthew Card

Published on August 3, 2026

To play up the delicate texture of raw tofu, we steep it in an intensely flavored salty, sweet, and savory marinade.

Time

40 min

Yield

Serves 4 to 6

Why This Recipe Works

Marinated raw tofu, called hiyayakko or yakko-dofu, is served throughout Japan during the sticky summer months as a cool and refreshing appetizer or snack. In the best renditions, a flavorful marinade and a few choice garnishes amplify the tofu's delicate sweet-soy flavor. The marinade for this dish is typically a soy sauce–enhanced dashi, the ubiquitous Japanese broth prepared from kombu seaweed and bonito (skipjack tuna) flakes. To make this dish vegetarian, we replaced the bonito with a glutamate-rich combination of wakame seaweed, fish sauce substitute, mirin, and sugar. This mixture produced a well-rounded marinade: sweet, salty, and robust—almost meaty in its intensity. A splash of rice wine vinegar, added off the heat after the broth had steeped, provided a bit of balance. For the garnishes, we liked a sprinkle of crumbled nori, sliced scallions, and a drizzle of toasted sesame oil..

Ingredients

14 ounces firm tofu, halved lengthwise, then cut crosswise into ½-inch-thick squares
Salt and pepper
2 cups boiling water
¼ cup fish sauce substitute
¼ cup mirin
4 teaspoons sugar
¼ ounce wakame seaweed
¼ ounce kombu seaweed
4 teaspoons rice vinegar
2 sheets toasted nori seaweed, crumbled
2 scallions, sliced thin on bias
toasted sesame oil

Instructions

Cook along with these step-by-step instructions

step 1 imagestep 2 imagestep 3 imagestep 4 image
  1. Spread tofu over paper towel–lined baking sheet, let drain for 20 minutes, then gently press dry with paper towels. Season with salt and pepper.
  2. Meanwhile, combine boiling water, fish sauce, mirin, sugar, wakame, and kombu in bowl. Cover and let sit for 15 minutes. Strain liquid through fine-mesh strainer, discarding solids, then return broth to now-empty bowl.
    Recipe Tip
    If you're not trying to keep this dish vegetarian, use fish sauce. Otherwise, opt for coconut aminos or a fish sauce substitute.
  3. Add tofu and vinegar, cover, and refrigerate until cool, at least 2 hours or up to 2 days. To serve, use slotted spoon to transfer tofu to platter, top with nori and scallions, and drizzle with sesame oil to taste.

Ask ATK

Have a Question?

We’d love to hear from you! Drop us a message anytime and we’ll get back to you. We’re here to help!

Recipe FAQs

My Rating

Up Next

Brown Sushi Rice Bowl with Crispy Tofu and Vegetables
Recipe1 hr 40 min

Brown Sushi Rice Bowl with Crispy Tofu and Vegetables

Chilled Marinated Tofu

Recipe By Matthew Card

Published on August 3, 2026

Time

40 min

Yield

Serves 4 to 6

Chilled Marinated Tofu

Ingredients

14 ounces firm tofu, halved lengthwise, then cut crosswise into ½-inch-thick squaresSalt and pepper2 cups boiling water¼ cup fish sauce substitute¼ cup mirin4 teaspoons sugar¼ ounce wakame seaweed¼ ounce kombu seaweed4 teaspoons rice vinegar2 sheets toasted nori seaweed, crumbled2 scallions, sliced thin on biastoasted sesame oil

Instructions

  1. Spread tofu over paper towel–lined baking sheet, let drain for 20 minutes, then gently press dry with paper towels. Season with salt and pepper.
  2. Meanwhile, combine boiling water, fish sauce, mirin, sugar, wakame, and kombu in bowl. Cover and let sit for 15 minutes. Strain liquid through fine-mesh strainer, discarding solids, then return broth to now-empty bowl.
    Recipe Tip
    If you're not trying to keep this dish vegetarian, use fish sauce. Otherwise, opt for coconut aminos or a fish sauce substitute.
  3. Add tofu and vinegar, cover, and refrigerate until cool, at least 2 hours or up to 2 days. To serve, use slotted spoon to transfer tofu to platter, top with nori and scallions, and drizzle with sesame oil to taste.
This is a members' feature.