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Summer Hiyayakko (Japanese cold tofu with peaches and jam)

The Japanese dish of hiyayakko is a dish that can be as simple or fancy as the maker wishes. This 15 minute tofu date night dish is the perfect summer recipe with cold tofu, ripe peaches, tart jam, and a melding of flavors and textures.
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Assembly Time 5 minutes
Total Time 20 minutes
Servings: 2
Course: dinner, Side Dish
Cuisine: Californian, Japanese
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • 1 lb tofu silken or normal
  • 1 shallot sliced thin
  • red wine vinegar enough to cover shallots
  • pinch kosher salt
  • ¼ cup soy sauce
  • ¼ cup lemon juice
  • 1 tsp chili oil
  • 1 tbsp rhubarb jam I like Bonne Maman but any jam on the tarter side will work
  • ½ peach diced
  • ¼ tsp new mexico chili powder or any chili powder
  • furikake for garnish
  • togarashi for garnish

Equipment

  • paper towels and cutting boards or plates for pressing the tofu

Method
 

Preparation
  1. Start by removing your 1 lb tofu from the packaging and pressing it between two cutting boards (or plates) with paper towels to remove some moisture. You can leave it pressed for up to an hour.
    1 lb tofu
  2. While the tofu is pressed, slice 1 shallot thinly and add to a bowl. Sprinkle with a pinch of salt and add red wine vinegar to cover. Drain before plating.
    1 shallot, pinch kosher salt, red wine vinegar
  3. For the ponzu sauce, add ¼ cup soy sauce and ¼ cup lemon juice in another bowl or measuring glass, and stir in 1 tsp chili oil. You can add more if you'd like it spicier.
    ¼ cup soy sauce, ¼ cup lemon juice, 1 tsp chili oil
  4. Dice ½ peach into small, bite sized cubes, add to a bowl and toss with ¼ tsp new mexico chili powder.
    ¼ tsp new mexico chili powder, ½ peach
Plating the dish
  1. Cut your pressed tofu into two to four equal pieces and place them into respective bowls. Pour some ponzu sauce into the bowl until there is just enough to cover the bottom of the bowl.
  2. With a butter knife, add enough 1 tbsp rhubarb jam to cover the top of the tofu square lightly.
    1 tbsp rhubarb jam
  3. Drain your pickled shallots and add them on top of the jam layer.
  4. Add some of your spiced peaches on top of that, and sprinkle furikake and togarashi as well.
    togarashi, furikake

Notes

One of the best parts of the recipe is you can use whatever sweet vs. tart you'd like that's in season! A variety for fall would be substitute peaches for Asian pears or in winter sweet pickled rhubarb diced with a guava jam!