Jimami Tofu Recipe

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Have you heard of Peanuts Tofu? You might know Tofu which is a soy-based food that is made from curdling soy milk, but Peanuts Tofu is not actually tofu since it's not made with soybeans. It's named Tofu as it looks similar.

The taste is richer than tofu with a peanut flavor, and the texture is special, wobbly but firm. The savory dish is a traditional cuisine in the south part of Japan such as Kyusyu and Okinawa regions, and called Jimami Tofu in Okinawa, Dakkisho Tofu in Kagoshima ,Kyusyu,

Resep Puding Jimami Tofu Ala Jepang Super Enak

Highly protein and calorie contained peanuts were treated as an important ingredients in old days in Okinawa, and Peanuts Tofu used to be served only for celebrations. Nowadays, Peanuts Tofu is common for local people, and is popular for tourists. You can buy it easily in stores in the regions.

Topping for the Peanut Tofu depends on the region. So many variations! For example, eaten with Wasabi and shoyu (soy sauce) in Okinawa, eaten with Umeboshi (pickled Japanese apricots) and shoyu in Kagoshima, and eaten with Yuzu(Japanese citrus) and miso in Nagasaki, Kyusyu.  

This recipe uses  sweet potato starch (Kansho Dempun甘藷澱粉). The starch makes this Peanut Tofu a nice texture. You can replace it with other starches such as Kudzu starch, tapioca starch, potato starch, and corn starch although the texture will be different.  

Jimami Tofu Wooden Spoon With Wasabi

1 In a small pan, place the starch and water, stir well with a whisk. Add peanut butter, stir well with the whisk before heating. 

2 Heat on medium, stir constantly with a spatula. When the mixture begins to thicken, about 3 minutes, reduce heat to low and continue stirring for 3 minutes.

You can enjoy as it is, or with a bit of salt. Shoyu (Soy sauce) with Grated Wasabi will be a good option. Try it with miso, vinegar and sugar if you have miso at home. 

Jimami Tofu, Local Okinawan Cuisine

You can make a dessert by adding something sweet like some syrup you have. It could be good to add whipped cream and fresh fruit.

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Okinawas Traditional Food Jimami Tofu Stock Image

Subscribe to receive ¥500 off your first order of ¥1500+ as well as a series of emails with useful tea tips and info.tofu (peanut tofu) when traveling in Mei Prefecture in Japan. Locals invited us over for a delicious breakfast consisting of miso soup, steamed rice, mango, kurobuta sausage, sweet Japanese omelet, pickled plums in honey, jimami tofu, and green tea. The tofu was unlike any other tofu I’ve ever had, bursting with peanut flavor in a sweet, savory sauce. At first, I assumed the sauce gave it the peanut flavor—since tofu usually takes on the flavor of the ingredients it’s paired with. Later, I found out that jimami tofu isn’t actually tofu—since it’s not made with soybeans; rather, it’s made from peanuts! It’s called tofu because it looks and feels like tofu.

Jimami tofu is a Okinawan specialty made by soaking raw peanuts in water, straining the peanut milk into a pan, heating the liquid and thickening it with sweet potato starch. You then pour this mixture into a cloth-lined dish and allow it to cool and solidify in the fridge. Once ready, you cut the tofu into individual portions and serve it with a sweetened soy sauce. The resulting dish tastes like a sweet, salty, peanut treat that’s soft and creamy, almost pudding-like in consistency.

In Japan, they typically eat peanut tofu as a dessert. However, I like to serve it as part of a meal. Sometimes I recreate the breakfast I had in Japan, other times I serve it for dinner with cat rice (steamed rice topped with bonita flakes and soy sauce) and sake. Because it’s both sweet and savory, you can serve it anytime and not go wrong.

Jimami Tofu ｜ Our Regional Cuisines

Pour the blended mixture into a fine mesh sieve set over a saucepan. Squeeze the contents of the sieve to extract all the liquid.

Add the sweet potato starch to the pan. Bring the liquid to a boil. Reduce heat to medium and continue to cook, stirring frequently, for 2 minutes.

Pour the contents into a small cloth-lined baking dish (the one I used was 2 litres). Smooth the surface of the tofu and then fold the cloth over the top.

Jimami Dofu (peanut Tofu)

Set the dish into a water bath and bring to room temperature. Then transfer the dish into the fridge and chill tofu for 6 hours.

While the tofu is chilling, make the sauce. Add soy sauce, mirin and sugar to a small saucepan. Bring to a boil. Stir the contents to dissolve the sugar. Once the sugar dissolves, turn off the heat and allow the sauce to cool.