高野豆腐(こうやどうふ)

高野豆腐(こうやどうふ) is tofu that has been frozen and then dried, which gives it a spongy texture that soaks up broth.

Etymology

• Named after 高野山(こうやさん) (Mount Koya), the Buddhist temple complex in Wakayama where the method is said to have developed

Usage

• Sold dry and shelf-stable; soaked in water to rehydrate, squeezed gently, then simmered
• Typically cooked as 煮物(にもの) or 含(ふく)め煮(に) (simmered in sweetened soy broth), and a staple of 精進料理(しょうじんりょうり) (Buddhist vegetarian cuisine)
• Valued as a protein-rich food that keeps for months

Similar words

• 凍(し)み豆腐(どうふ), 凍(こお)り豆腐(どうふ): other names for the same food (凍(し)み豆腐(どうふ) is used especially in Tohoku and Nagano)

Related words

• 豆腐(とうふ) (regular tofu)
• 湯葉(ゆば) (tofu skin)
• 厚揚(あつあ)げ (thick fried tofu)
• お麩(ふ) (dried wheat gluten)

Register: Neutral. Common in cooking contexts.