
Japanese Tofu Patties (がんもどき - Ganmodoki)
Most people don't know this, but Japan maintained a ban on consuming animal products for about 1200 years. The ban wasn't consistently enforced, and there were some odd exceptions, but it started with the introduction of Buddhism and didn't end until Japan opened its doors to the West in the latter half of the 19th century.
Ganmodoki literally means "mock goose" in Japanese and early versions of this dish were made with konnyaku, which has a dark color that could have made it more closely resemble its namesake. Whatever its roots, Ganmodoki's current incarnation is a tofu patty that's loaded with vegetables and mushrooms.
In my version, I like to go a little extra on the mix-ins to pack it full of flavors, textures, and nutrients. I'd be lying if I said this was anything like goose meat, but this tofu patty makes for a delicious Japanese entre regardless of whether you're vegan, vegetarian, or a meat lover.
Why This Recipe Works?
- Tofu has a bland flavor and uninteresting texture. This recipe fixes both of these problems by:
- Loading the tofu up with ingredients containing an abundance of amino acids adds umami to the patties. Serving them in a flavorful broth ensures the Ganmodoki aren't short on flavor.
- Mixing a colorful assortment of vegetables, mushrooms, and seeds into the tofu patties makes them visually appealing, contributing a wide variety of textures.
- Frying the tofu creates an aerated crust that soaks up the flavors of the broth like a sponge.
- The tofu patty mixture is super versatile. You can give it different shapes, coatings, and sauces to turn it into various dishes such as a tofu burger, tofu "chicken" nuggets, or tofu hamburg steak.
Ingredients for Tofu Patty
- Tofu - This recipe requires tofu with relatively low water content; otherwise, the patty will be too soft. I used firm tofu and wrung out the excess water.
- Potato starch - The starch acts as a binder holding all of the ingredients together.
- Konbu cha - Konbu cha is a savory kelp stock and is not the same thing as the fermented beverage. It comes in a powdered form and is often consumed with hot water as tea. It's packed with umami-producing amino acids, making it a great way to add umami to any dish.
- Vegetables - I used carrots and edamame in my tofu patties for color, texture, and a little extra protein, but any low-moisture vegetable will work here.
- Mushrooms - Mushrooms have a meaty flavor because they contain a potent mix of compounds that trigger the umami taste receptors on your tongue. I like adding shiitake mushrooms to my Ganmodoki, but other flavorful mushrooms like Maitake, Matsutake, or Porcini will work as well.
- Seeds - To give the tofu some extra texture and a pleasant nutty flavor, I like adding some sesame seeds to the patty. I've used black sesame seeds because they make a nice contrast to the white tofu, but regular sesame seeds will work. You can also add other seeds here, like hemp seeds or pumpkin seeds. Quinoa or amaranth will work as well, but you'll want to cook them first.
Ingredients to Serve Ganmodoki
- Konbu cha - Ganmodoki is usually served in dashi broth, but using konbu cha is a quick way of making plant-based dashi.
- Soy sauce - The soy sauce seasons the broth while providing additional umami. Any Japanese-style soy sauce will work.
- Kokutō - Kokutō is unrefined sugar (a.k.a. brown sugar). Unlike the brown sugar found in the US (which is made from refined sugar), Japanese kokutō is more like muscovado or jaggery with the cane juice reduced and solidified and then ground into a powder.
- Potato starch - by adding a small amount of starch to the broth, it thickens it up and makes it cling to the tofu patties better without turning it into a thick gravy.
- Garnish - I like garnishing this with some grated ginger and a slice of citrus (I used sudachi). There are many options here, including chopped scallions, shiso, shichimi togarashi, or sansho.
How to Make Tofu Patties (Ganmodoki)
To make the tofu patties, you first need to squeeze out the excess water from the tofu. The best way to do this is to crumble up the tofu onto a clean cotton dish towel or a few layers of butter muslin. Then you can twist the corners together and wring out the water. You may need to open it up and rearrange the tofu a few times to get most of the water out.
Dump the tofu into a bowl along with the potato starch, konbu cha, and salt, and then mash everything together with a spatula until it turns into a uniform paste. You can also do this in a food processor.
The shiitake mushrooms and carrots need to be par-cooked. You can either do this by steaming them in a microwave oven (I steamed them for 2 minutes at 800 watts), or you can sautee them in a frying pan with a bit of oil).
Add the cooked shiitake and carrots to the tofu mixture along with the edamame and black sesame seeds and mix it all together until the ingredients are evenly distributed.
This is a good time to start pre-heating a few inches of vegetable oil to 340° F (170° C). As always, I recommend using a deep, heavy-bottomed pot when deep-frying to maintain a consistent temperature and prevent spills. You'll also want to prepare a cooling rack lined with a few layers of paper towels.
You can shape the tofu mixture into meatballs or patties, and you can make them bigger or smaller depending on how you plan to use them. I divided my tofu mixture into 6 segments with a spatula and then shaped each segment into an oval patty. When you're shaping your patties, you want to toss them back and forth between your hands. The smacking action forces out any air pockets while sealing crevices that can make your Ganmodoki burst when fried.
Once your oil is up to temperature, carefully lower the patties into the oil. If you're worried about splashing, you can set each one on a spatula and then use another spatula to scrape it into the oil. Fry the Ganmodoki undisturbed until the surface sets, and then flip them over. If you're not using a non-stick pan, they may stick to the bottom of the pan, but you can release them using a spatula. Continue frying them until they're golden brown on both sides. This should take a total of about five to six minutes. When they're done, transfer them to the prepared rack to drain.
For the broth, add all of the ingredients to a pot and stir it constantly while bringing the mixture to a full boil. Once it comes to a full boil, you can stop stirring and let it cook for an additional thirty seconds.
To serve the Ganmodoki, put a few tofu patties in a bowl and ladle on enough broth to partially submerge them. Garnish with your favorite toppings and serve while hot.
Other Tofu Recipes
FAQ
Ganmodoki (がんもどき) literally translates to "imitation goose" and is a Japanese alternative protein that's been consumed for centuries as part of the Shōjin culinary tradition.
Ganmodoki is a four-syllable word that is pronounced as follows:
gan like gauntlet
mo like motor
do like don't
ki like key
They won't turn out as uniformly browned as frying them, but these tofu patties can be made in the oven. Just put the Ganmodoki on a parchment-lined baking sheet, brush them with oil, and pop them in a 350 degree F (180 C) oven until they're browned on both sides. You'll want to flip them over part of the way through to ensure they brown evenly.
I don't have an air fryer and haven't been able to test this, but an air fryer is essentially a small convection oven, so you should be able to use the oven instructions above in an air fryer.
You can shape the patties slightly thinner (though I wouldn't go thinner than ½-inch) and then shallow-fry them to turn this into a vegan hamburger patty. You can skip the broth, but I would suggest glazing the patties with teriyaki sauce. To do this, boil equal parts soy sauce, sake, and sugar until it's thick and bubbly. Then add the fried patties into the sauce and flip them around a few times until they are glazed with the sauce. Then you can assemble your tofu burger as you like.
📖 Recipe
Units
Ingredients
For Ganmodoki
- 350 grams firm tofu
- 1 tablespoon potato starch
- ½ teaspoon konbu cha
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 50 grams Shiitake mushrooms (minced)
- 40 grams carrot (cut into thin matchsticks)
- 50 grams shelled edamame
- 2 teaspoons black sesame seeds
- Vegetable oil (for deep frying)
For sauce
- 1 cup water
- 2 teaspoons soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon kokutō
- 1 teaspoon potato starch
- ½ teaspoon konbu cha
- grated ginger (optional, for garnish)
Instructions
- Use your hands to crumble the tofu into a clean cotton cloth like butter muslin or a dishtowel. Pick the corners of the fabric up and twist them together to make a pouch in the middle, and continue twisting to wring out as much water from the tofu as possible.
- Transfer the squeezed tofu to a bowl and add the potato starch, konbu cha, and salt. Mash the mixture together with a spatula until it forms a smooth paste.
- Put the shiitake mushrooms and carrots in a glass bowl and cover with a tight-fitting plate or lid. Steam the ingredients in a microwave oven at 800 watts for 2 minutes.
- Add the carrots, mushrooms, edamame, and black sesame seeds to the tofu mixture and knead everything together.
- Start preheating a deep, heavy-bottomed pot with a few inches of vegetable oil to 340 degrees F (170 C). Prepare a cooling rack by lining it with a few sheets of paper towels.
- Shape the tofu mixture into 6-8 patties. You want to toss the patties between your hands a few times to press out any air pockets and seal up any cracks, which can cause the patties to crumble or burst when you fry them,
- Fry the tofu patties in the preheated oil until they're golden brown on both sides (about 5-6 minutes). You'll want to flip them over at least once to ensure they brown evenly. Then, transfer the Ganmodoki to the prepared rack to drain.
- To make the broth, add the water, soy sauce, kokutō, potato starch, and kombucha to a pot and put it over medium-high heat. Stir the mixture constantly until it comes to a boil. Let it cook for an additional 30 seconds.
- To serve, arrange a few tofu patties in a bowl and ladle plenty of broth on top. Garnish with the grated ginger.
Antonia Chan says
Hi! So glad I came across this recipe! May you please share the brand of konbu cha you used? I have a hard time sourcing one without MSG. Thank you!!!
Marc Matsumoto says
Hi Antonia, it's included in my Holiday Care Package: https://kokorocares.com/collections/collections-care-packages/products/limited-holiday-edition-marc-matsumoto-care-package
This one does not have any MSG.
Kathy Stroup says
These are soooooo goooooood! I can't believe it's taken me a year to try this recipe. I bought an electric fryer this past weekend so that I can make Atsuage. My former fry setup wasn't going to accommodate a large block of tofu. I was already having problems with the recovery time on small amounts of food. I have always envied your rectangular fry pot, and I know I can't get one of those, but this fryer is going to fit the bill.
I chose the Presto Pro Fry. https://www.amazon.com/National-Presto-Stainless-Immersion-Element/dp/B005FYF7XQ/ref=asc_df_B005FYF7XQ/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=167155690034&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=10975991463126996859&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=1014369&hvtargid=pla-272273486387&th=1 It has an emersion heating element and an enameled rectangular pot. The whole thing comes apart for cleaning. It holds a decent amount of food and heats up super fast. Recovery time is very fast, too. So far we are very impressed. It cost less than $50 and a local store had one in stock.
What I didn't have on hand was a couple of blocks of plain tofu. This recipe has been on my mind, and I had a block of high-protein tofu, plus all the other ingredients, so I whipped up a batch. I got 16 "mock goslings" but my tofu block was one and a half times the size in the recipe. I adjusted all the other ingredients up by half.
Let me spend a moment actually praising your excellent recipe. These are as easy to prepare and as delicious as they look in the video. I was surprised that the crispy, brown outside tasted so much of potato with only a tablespoon of potato starch in the mix. It's a flavor that screams, "Yum!" to every American! The interior is so succulent and tender, and full of wonderful textures from the veggies. The interior juxtaposed with the golden exterior is enticing; I would always want to serve these cut to show them off! Slice these little guys at an angle, pile them on a bed of greens, and add a dish of dipping sauce, then stand back and watch your guests reacting with delight!
I'm going to try freezing some. These look like they would be great to have on hand for quick meals. Thanks as always for a delicious recipe and fascinating content!
Kathy Stroup says
That link wasn't so great. Here's the manufacturer's website: https://www.gopresto.com/product/presto-stainless-steel-profry-immersion-element-deep-fryer-05461
Marc Matsumoto says
Thanks for sharing your fryer setup Kathy! I really miss having a deep fryer, given the amount of frying I do these days I really should get one, but there's just not enough counter space in my kitchen. I've never tried freezing ganmodoki, but usually with blocks of tofu, freezing it significantly alters the texture. Hope it worked out!
Kathy Stroup says
I had missed your reply. I was here preparing a batch for the freezer. I hadn't thought about the texture changing when I froze them, and I hadn't checked the few I had in the freezer. Just microwaving one didn't do it justice, but the texture may actually be improved by freezing. It's definitely meatier. The flavor is the same. I think if I give them a proper thaw they will be great. These should be wonderful heated in a broth or a sauce, or sliced and fried in a pan. Deep frying might make the outside too dark, but it's worth checking out. Of course, part of why I'm freezing them is for convenience, so deep frying might be out.
These are really just for me, and I love them! They'll be so nice to pull out on busy days when I would normally eat something basic. Thanks for the inspiration!
Marc Matsumoto says
The texture changes because home freezers are slow, which causes ice crystals to form. When you defrost the water comes out leaving little pockets of air. This is why frozen and defrosted fruit gets mushy and proteins tend to a get a little spongy. It does give tofu a meaty texture though so it could be good thing here!
J Mizuno Kays says
I love the simplicity of this recipe. Using konbu cha (powder) provides a nice umami...much easier than prepping the me hijiki that is used in other recipes. I did not have konbu cha in my pantry, so I used a little dashi no moto in its place. The results were delicious! I will be adding konbu cha to my shopping list. Thanks, Chef, for another great recipe!
Marc Matsumoto says
I'm so happy to hear you enjoyed this😄 Good call on substituting dashi no moto. The idea of the konbu cha is to add umami, so dashi powder works great if you're not trying to make this vegan.
Saskia says
Do you think tapioca starch would work instead of the potato starch? I can't have nightshades or corn so only starches like tapioca and arrowroot are OK. I could also do sweet potato starch although I don't have any of that in at the moment.
Marc says
Hi Saskia, it's purpose in the patty is to bind so tapioca starch should work fine. For the sauce, arrowroot is what's traditionally used to thicken Japanese sauces so it should work for that as well. That being said, different starches have different thickening power so you may need to make some small adjustments to the amount to get the right viscosity.