Fried Koyadofu (Japanese Vegetarian Recipe)

5 from 3 votes
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Fried Koyadofu is a Japanese tonkatsu (fried pork) style recipe, and It’s a healthy vegetarian dish that will make you feel just as satisfied. If you’re looking to make something new or enjoy tasty food that’s healthy, too, then try this recipe out!

Looking for simple vegetarian dishes? Try this Fried Tofu, Fried Konnyaku, or Vegetarian Steamed Gyoza!

Koyadofu Katsu(Japanese tonkatsu style dish)

Koyadofu is freeze-dried tofu that provides a healthy plant-based protein option for those looking to eat less meat.

Traditional koyadofu recipes are often slow-cooked, but this fried koyadofu is quick and easy. You can enjoy the chewy and crunchy texture as well as a variety of different flavors with the homemade sauce.

    This recipe is for you if:
  • You love healthy Japanese recipe
  • You want to learn how to cook koyadofu
  • You are looking for Japanese vegetarian recipe

I will show you how to make this delicious main dish. If you want to check the recipe, please jump to the recipe card. Let’s get cooking!

About This Recipe

  • Koyadofu (freeze-dried tofu) recipe
  • Japanese tonkatsu-style dish
  • Vegetarian recipe (vegan adaptable)
  • Homemade sauce recipe

📋 Ingredients

Here are the ingredients (amounts are in the recipe card below).

Ingredients for Koyadofu Katsu(Japanese tonkatsu style dish)
  • Koyadofu (See below for more details)
  • Egg
  • Flour: All types of flour are okay, including gluten-free flour.
  • Panko (See below for more details)

What is Koyadofu?

koya dofu in package

Koyadofu is a traditional Japanese ingredient that has been frozen and dried to create an interesting texture. It’s hard as a bar soap, but once soaked in water, it becomes softer, spongy even.

It’s flavorless, so you must season the dish when cooking or pour some sauce over; otherwise, your meal might taste bland.

We love to cook it in different dishes. We use it for soups and simmered dishes as well as a stir fry.

Koyadofu is well known as a nutritious food. It contains more protein and calcium than regular tofu and it’s rich in iron, zinc as well as dietary fiber too.

Size of koyadofu

There are a few different size options that I have in my pantry. These sizes are precut of full size.

Size of Koyadofu
  • Full size
  • Half size
  • 1/6 size
  • 1/20 size
  • 1/60 size (thin slice)
  • 1/150 size

The thin slices don’t require to soak in water beforehand, so I often put them in soups. And other sizes are used for simmered dishes, fry, and stir fry, and so on.

In this recipe, we are gonna use full size, which is the most common koyadofu. If you have small children, it would be good to use 1/2 size or 1/6 size also.

Panko

Panko is bread crumbs in Japanese, and it is necessary for fried food.

photo of panko.

There are 2 types of panko available:

The difference is the amount of water contained. Nama panko includes more water than the dried version, so it’s soft.

Flakes of Nama panko are often larger, and the texture after frying is more fluffy and lighter than dried ones.

On the other hand, the texture of dried panko is more crunchy.

Dried panko lasts longer and is versatile for any dish, in my opinion, so I most likely have a dried one in my pantry. However, If you want a dish that has a lighter texture, then Nama panko is suitable.

🔪Instructions

How to make is very simple! Just rehydrate koyadofu with water, bread, and fry. Let me show you the steps.

Let me go through how to make this recipe. You can also watch this video.

How to make Koyadofu Katsu(Japanese tonkatsu style dish)
  1. Soak koyadofu in water
  2. Prepare egg, flour, and panko
  3. Bread the koyadofu
  4. Fry for 2 minutes until golden brown
  5. Flip it over and fry
  6. Fry the side as well
Koyadofu Katsu(Japanese tonkatsu style dish)

Here’s your crunchy fried koyadofu!

A freshly fried one is so juicy and tender. When it gets cold, the moisture seeps out of every crispy brown edge, which makes them dry. You should eat before they get too cool because you’ll be missing a lot!

Koyadofu is not seasoned, so why not pour your favorite sauce over it or try my homemade sauce in the following?

Homemade Sauce

homemade sauce for Koyadofu Katsu(Japanese tonkatsu style dish)

We often use a sauce called “tonkatsu sauce” for fried dishes, and it goes well with this koyadofu katsu as well. but if you have extra time, why don’t you try homemade sauce?

The perfect blend of miso and honey, based on the versatile ketchup. The rich sauce is sweet with a touch of acidity that will make your taste buds tingle!

Vegan Version

If you’re vegan or try to avoid eggs, this recipe is adaptable to your needs.

Mix the flour and water at a 1:1 ratio. Dip your koyadofu into it before breading it with panko. Fry them until they are golden brown.

How to eat leftovers

If you make the fried koyadofu ahead of time and it tastes dry, cut it into bite-size pieces and toss them with the homemade sauce or your favorite one. This will make it juicy and tender again!

Some dishes to serve with

If you need some ideas for what to serve with, what about something like this?

Koyadofu Katsu(Japanese tonkatsu style dish) with side dishes

Rice, soup, main and side–this is a standard Japanese-style meal. I hope you get an idea.

Have some fun!

Koyadofu Katsu (Japanese tonkatsu style dish)-cheese and nori version

You can get creative with koyadofu by adding ingredients to the inside of it for more flavor. Here are some ideas:

  • Cheese and nori sheet (photo above): My favorite cheese katsu! Kids love this.
  • Potato salad: Rich potato salad seasoned with mayo, vinegar, salt, and pepper would be good.
  • Egg salad: Same as above, rich egg salad would be perfect for the stuffing.
  • Hummus: Thick creamy hummus goes really well with plain taste koyadofu.

Thanks for Stopping By!

koyadofu katsu being held by chopsticks.

It’s a tasty, easy, and healthy Japanese vegetarian dish. I hope you will enjoy the recipe as much as we do!

Thank you for taking the time to read my blog♡ If you’ve tried this recipe (or any other recipe on the blog), please give it a star rating below!

Also, feel free to leave comments if you have any questions. I love hearing from you!

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Koyadofu Katsu(Japanese tonkatsu style dish)

Fried Koyadofu (Japanese Vegetarian Recipe)

5 from 3 votes
Print Pin Save
Prep: 10 minutes
Cook: 10 minutes
Total: 20 minutes
Servings: 4 servings
Author: Juri Austin
Fried Koyadofu is a Japanese tonkatsu (fried pork) style recipe, and It's a healthy vegetarian dish that will make you feel just as satisfied. If you want to make something new or enjoy tasty and healthy food, try this recipe out!

Ingredients

  • 4 Koyadofu, 64g
  • 1 Egg, 50g
  • 2 Tbsp Flour, 20g
  • 200 ml Panko, bread crumbs (40g)
  • Oil for frying

Sauce

  • 1 Tbsp Ketchup
  • 1 tsp Miso paste
  • 1 tsp Soy sauce
  • 1 tsp Mustard
  • 1 tsp Sesame seeds
  • 1 tsp Honey
  • 1 Tbsp Water

Instructions

  • Soak in water: Soak koyadofu in water for more than 10 minutes and squeeze the water out.
  • Prepare ingredients: Prepare 3 containers, put the egg, flour, and panko in the containers.
  • Breaded with panko: Coat koyadofu with flour, dip in the beaten egg, and coat with panko.
  • Fry: In a frying pan, heat oil over medium heat, and fry koyadofu for 2 minutes for both sides until golden brown.
  • Make a sauce: Put the sauce ingredients in a bowl, and blend well.

Video

Notes

  • Equipment: Frying pan 26 cm/10 inches
  • Substitute: You can substitute egg with a mixture of flour and water (See the section: Vegan version).
  • Storage: 3 days in the fridge.
  • When it gets cold, it gets dry, so I recommend eating right after it’s cooked.
  • You can also use ketchup, Worcestershire sauce instead of homemade sauce.

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 309kcal | Carbohydrates: 18g | Protein: 12.4g | Fat: 21.7g | Cholesterol: 46.5mg | Sugar: 3.4g
Course: Main
Cuisine: Japanese
Keyword: fried koyadofu, Vegetarian
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