4 Cold Tofu Recipes That Will Change How You Eat Tofu!

Tired of plain tofu? Try 4 delicious Japanese toppings— flavorful miso pork, creamy salmon avocado, savory mushrooms, and refreshing hiyayakko. Quick, healthy, and perfect for any meal!

Salmon Tofu Salad (2 servings)
For the salad base:
1 block silken tofu (about 300g), cut into smaller cubes
4 cherry tomatoes (2 per plate), halved
40 g cooked salmon (to flake over the tofu)
Creamy Avocado Dressing:
1/2 avocado, mashed until smooth
1 tbsp mayonnaise
1 tsp soy sauce
1/2 tsp sesame oil
1/2 tsp lemon juice
1/2 tsp sugar or honey
A sprinkle of sesame seeds
A drop of wasabi (optional)

Instructions
1. Cook the salmon:
Grill or pan-fry about 40 g of salmon until cooked through.
Let it cool slightly, then flake it into small pieces.
2. Prep the cherry tomatoes:
Cut 4 cherry tomatoes in half (2 per plate).
3. Make the creamy dressing:
In a small bowl, mash ½ avocado until smooth.
Add 1 mayonnaise, 1 soy sauce, sesame oil, lemon juice, honey, a sprinkle of sesame seeds, and a drop of wasabi (optional).
Mix until fully combined and creamy.
4. Assemble the salad:
Place the cubed tofu into 2 bowls.
Spoon the creamy avocado dressing over the tofu.
Top with the flaked salmon.
Add 2 cherry tomato halves to each bowl.
Garnish with chopped green onions.

Cold Tofu with Ground Pork, Eggplant, and Miso Sauce
Ingredients (2 servings)
For the tofu base:
1 block silken or soft tofu (cold, drained, cut into small cubes)
For the topping:
100 g (about 3.5 oz) ground pork
1 small Japanese eggplant (or ½ regular eggplant), diced small
1 tsp grated fresh ginger (optional but adds flavor)
1 tsp sesame oil (or any cooking oil)
For the sauce:
1 tbsp miso paste
1 tbsp water
½ tsp soy sauce
½ tsp brown sugar (or honey)
¼ tsp rice vinegar or apple cider vinegar (optional)

Instructions
1. Prep the tofu:
Drain the tofu and cut it into small cubes. Place in serving bowls.
2. Make the sauce:
In a small bowl, combine miso paste, water, soy sauce, brown sugar, and vinegar. Stir until smooth and set aside.
3. Cook the topping:
Heat sesame oil in a frying pan over medium heat.
Add the diced eggplant and stir-fry for 3–5 minutes until soft and lightly browned.
Add ground pork and grated ginger. Break the pork into small pieces while cooking.
Cook until the pork is no longer pink, about 2–3 minutes.
4. Combine with sauce:
Give the miso sauce a quick stir, then pour it over the pork and eggplant in the pan.
Mix everything together and simmer for 1–2 minutes until the sauce thickens slightly and coats the ingredients.
5. Cool slightly and serve:
Let the topping cool for a few minutes.
Spoon the pork-eggplant-miso mixture over the cubed tofu.
6. Optional garnish:
Sprinkle with chopped green onions.

Cold Tofu with Nametake / Enoki Mushrooms (Serves 2)
Ingredients
For the tofu base:
1 block silken or soft tofu (chilled, cut into small cubes)
For the topping:
Enoki mushrooms
Optional: chopped green onions for garnish

Homemade Nametake
Ingredients:
1 pack (200 g) enoki mushrooms
1 tbsp soy sauce
½ tbsp sake
½ tbsp sugar
1 tsp water
½ tsp dashi powder (optional)
Splash of rice vinegar
½ tsp grated ginger

Instructions
1. Prep the enoki mushrooms:
Trim and discard the root end.
Cut the remaining mushrooms in half and separate the strands.
Rinse lightly under water.
2. Make the nametake sauce:
In a small pan over medium heat, combine soy sauce, sake, sugar, water, dashi powder (if using), rice vinegar, and grated ginger.
Add the enoki mushrooms, stir gently, and cook for 3–4 minutes until the mushrooms are soft and the sauce has slightly thickened.
Remove from heat and let cool.
3. Assemble the tofu dish:
Place the cubed tofu into serving bowls.
Spoon the cooled nametake (enoki mushroom) mixture over the tofu.
Garnish with chopped green onions for color and flavor.

Classic Hiyayakko Tofu (Serves 2)
Ingredients
For the tofu base:
1 block silken or soft tofu (chilled, cut into small cubes)
For the topping:
½ tsp grated fresh ginger
1–2 tsp soy sauce (to drizzle)
A generous pinch of katsuobushi (dried, shaved bonito flakes)
Chopped green onions for garnish

Instructions
1. Prep the tofu:
Drain the tofu and cut it into small cubes. Place in serving bowls.
2. Add toppings:
Sprinkle grated ginger over the tofu.
Drizzle soy sauce lightly on top.
Add a generous pinch of katsuobushi.
Finish with a sprinkle of chopped green onions.

Chapters
00:00 Intro
00:08 Salmon Salad Tofu prep
01:26 Miso Pork Eggplant prep
03:09 Savory Nametake or Enoki Mushroom Sauce prep
04:10 Hiyayoko or Chilled Tofu prep
04:30 Prep the Tofu
05:00 Salmon Salad plate up
05:27 Miso Pork Eggplant plate up
05:49 Nametake plate up
06:09 Hiyayoko plate up
06:30 All Four Tofu Dishes
06:39 Eat
09:50 Outro