I made Hiyayakko 3 Ways

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1. Tokyo’s rainy season is in full swing, bringing torrential rains followed by sweltering humidity. To beat the heat, I’ve been turning to one of my favorite dishes, Hiyayakko. It’s a block of cold silken tofu topped with various ingredients. Traditional toppings include katsuobushi, scallions, ginger, and soy sauce, but it can be topped with almost anything with enough flavor to season the tofu. In this photo, I also made one topped with natto and kimchi and another with tomatoes, basil, and olive oil for a Japanese take on Caprese salad. My trick with hiyayakko is to salt the tofu when you drain it; this causes the tofu to release excess water, which prevents the dish from getting watery. You can check out my [video](https://youtu.be/eYKgL0AesLc) covering all three variations if you want more details. What’s your favorite way of enjoying cold tofu?

2. I really like the traditional toppings. When I was a child growing up in Kyoto near Nishiki market, the tofu man with a wooden cart would come around our neighborhood and we would buy a couple blocks. I would smash cold tofu over a bowl of rice and add some shoyu to eat as a snack. btw nice spoon rest!

3. Very nice ❤️

4. The caprese version sounds interesting – I never would have thought of that, but now I have to try it. Thanks for sharing!

5. Kimchi, green onions, sesame oil, and soy sauce altogether are my favourite toppings for Hiyayakko!