Goma Dofu Recipe - A Sesame Tofu From Buddhist Monks to Invasive Vines!

Goma Dofu is a very interesting and unusual dish originating in the Shojin Ryori vegetarian cooking practices of Buddhist monks in Japan dating back to the early 500s.  You can think of Shojin Ryori as the grandfather of modern vegan cuisine, although milk is used in certain recipes.  Grounded in Zen Buddhism, Shojin Ryori dining features a calm atmosphere and a range of unique vegetable-forward cooking, featuring clean vivid flavors, and the thoughtful use of colors on the plate.  In commercial kitchens today, we talk about having a minimum of three colors on a plate – this concept came from early Japanese kitchens.

Goma Dofu Is A Vegan Dish - But it Can also Be Used As A Side In An Array Of Dishes: Shown Here As A Side With Pan Seared Cervina Red Deer With Tempura Battered Chrismon Clover Flowers

Goma Dofu - A Zen Buddhist Tradition Blended With Japanese Recipes Creating A Delicacy: Vegan Sesame Tofu

Historian Dogen Zenji, who was a prominent figure in Zen Buddhism, wrote extensively on the concepts of minimizing waste in cooking, and respect for ingredients about 800 years ago – culminating in his cooking treatise called Tenzo Kyokun (“Instructions for the Cook”).  It’s interesting that zero waste cooking is thought of as a new concept, when in fact, it’s steeped in tradition and quite frankly – just plain common sense.  However, now that food prices continue to skyrocket, a return to Kansha or Shojin Ryori makes sense more than ever.  Plus, you don’t have to strictly adhere to these concepts, but you can easily incorporate aspects of this cooking style at home or in a commercial kitchen (and is delicious & nutritious)!

Goma Dofu is a great example of Shojin Ryori cuisine, because it uses a vegetarian dashi broth, and sesame seeds to make a unique side dish somewhat similar to pannacotta or flan in texture.  Sesame as a high protein food crop likely originated in Africa, and may be the original seed used to make oil for cooking.  It spread through India to Mesopotamia in the 2000’s BCE, and throughout the Mediterranean during the Bronze Age.[1]  It found its way into Shojin Ryori cooking in many forms, including Goma Dofu.

There is some indication that Buddhist Monks first started making a tofu-like dish from sesame seeds at Mount Koya, a Japanese Buddhist temple in China during the Tang Dynasty 1,200 years ago.[2]  At the Tiki Food Lab, we were drawn to the exploration of Goma Dofu because of the use of Kudzu Starch.  We feature invasive species menus occasionally at both Suis Generis and the Tiki Food Lab, so the potential for using Kudzu Starch (called “Kuzu”) is extremely interesting to us.  Kudzu was brought to America to counteract soil erosion issues during the Dust Bowl, after being displayed at the 1876 World’s Fair in Philadelphia.[3]  Now it’s everywhere – so we might as well eat it!

How to Make Goma Dofu - A Sesame Tofu That You Chill In The Fridge Before Serving:

Goma Dofu is not a Tofu (which is made from fermented soy beans), but more of a panna-cotta type dish made with sesame seeds and Kudzu Starch.  It is served chilled, and often with a little indentation in the top filled with a sauce or other ingredients.  It makes a delicious complement to an array of main courses. We recently did it with gyoza and fried zucchini – and it was amazing spread on the fried zucchini!  Be creative with how you use it. 

Ingredients:  (makes about 12 small portions)

• 2/3 cup sesame paste.  You can grind sesame seeds to make your own, or use good quality tahini.  Soom is a very good brand.

• 4.25 cup spring water.

• 1.5 TBSP mirin.

• 1.5 TBSP sake or other alcohol such as pear liquor or Shaoxing wine.

• 4-6” piece kombu (kelp) or you can use nori, wakame, dulse, or even other vegetables like onion, shallot or radish.  The purpose here is to create a vegan dashi broth.

• 1 TBSP dried mushrooms.  Any type works, but experiment with better quality mushrooms like shiitake, lion’s mane, porcini, etc.

• 1 TBSP soy sauce or tamari.

• ¼ TSP coriander.

• ¼ TSP salt (good quality salt such as kosher sea salt, Himalayan, French grey but never iodized salt).

• 1 TSP acid – this can be lemon or lime juice, vinegar, or even something like Green Tabasco sauce.

• 1.33 cups kudzu powder (called Kuzu). You can find this on line or in an Asian food market.

It looks like a lot of ingredients, but this is our version of the standard recipe to create complex flavors.  However, the only essential ingredients are the Kuzu starch, sesame paste and water, the rest are flavoring agents used to make it more interesting.  Also, feel free to experiment with variations to make it sweet, spicy, miso flavored, add wasabi, or whatever you can think of. 

Technique:

• Add about a quarter cup of water to the Kuzu and stir until it becomes a smooth paste.  The key to making a good Goma Dofu is avoiding lumps and using a LOT of elbow grease.

• Add the remaining ingredients and continue to stir over medium heat.  Stir or whisk constantly.

• After several minutes, you will feel the mixture thickening.  Make sure you continually scrape the bottom with a firm spatula, because it can tend to stick and burn (especially if your heat is too high)

• As it starts to thicken, reduce your heat to low and increase your stirring.  Keep it going vigorously to avoid lumps.

• Once it becomes the thickness of a heavy pudding it is ready.  The total cooking time is about 12-15 minutes.

• Spray a form or silicon forms with Pam or olive oil spray and pour the warm mixture into the form.  Refrigerate for several hours or longer until it firms up.  The end result should be like a slightly firm panna cotta or flan.

[1] “Agromarphological and Molecular Characterization of Sesamum Indicum L. – An Oil Seed Crop,” D. Bedigian, et al., Biological Systematics and Ecology, 13, 133-139.

[2] “Sesame Utilization in China: New Archeobotanical Evidence from Xinjiang,” Zhenwei Qiu, et al, Economic Botany, September, 2012.

[3] “Of Vines & Villains,” Alexis Hauk, September 26, 2023.