Snow-white kakiage

For shira-ae, tofu-dressed vegetables, draining the water from the tofu is essential. Draining it raw gives the better flavor, but in seasons when spoilage happens quickly, it's better to blanch it first to drain it. When you wring it out in a cloth, tofu will seep through the weave, so be careful not to squeeze so hard that soy milk comes out. Squeezing too hard leaves it dry and crumbly, and not squeezing enough is no good either, so getting the right amount of pressure is the key. Also, season the ingredients you're going to dress in advance. Here, I've drained the wild mountain vegetables and seasoned them with light happō dashi.

① Place the tofu on a cutting board set at an angle, let it rest for 30 minutes to an hour, and drain off the water.

② Next, wring out the water using a dry cloth, twisting it as you go.

(When blanching in summer, the key points are the heat level and how the tofu floats. Don't let the water come to a rolling boil — once the tofu floats to the surface, lift it out.)

③ Pass the drained tofu through a fine silk sieve (habutae-goshi).

④ In a suribachi mortar, add sugar, yogurt, and sudachi (a small tart Japanese citrus), and mix together.

⑤ Cut nori into bite-sized pieces, brush one light coat of soy sauce on the back of each piece, top with crumbled kakiage, a mixed vegetable and seafood tempura fritter, toss with the mixture from step ④, and plate.

Finished