Kōya-dōfu Karaage (高野豆腐の唐揚げ, fried freeze-dried tofu)

Kōya-dōfu asks you to trust an unpromising little block. Dry, pale, light as a biscuit, it looks like it has already given up. Then it meets warm dashi and remembers itself. This is not meat pretending to be meat. It is tofu treated the way we treat tofu here, honestly, with nothing hidden.

The one detail that decides the dish is the squeezing. Rehydrate the kōya-dōfu fully, press out the soaking liquid, then let it take in seasoned dashi. If you skip the first squeeze, the center tastes watery. If you crush it too hard after the marinade, it fries dry. Firm hands, not punishment. That is the whole lesson.

For a meatless table, use konbu and dried shiitake dashi, the way temple kitchens do. It is honmono, not a compromise. The dashi gives depth, soy gives salt and color, ginger keeps the finish clean, and potato starch makes the rough little crust that karaage needs. Eat it with rice, pickles, and a green vegetable, and you have a weeknight meal that feels steady without making a sermon of itself.