Considering how common tofu is in Japanese cuisine, you might expect tofu dishes to be pretty standard no matter where you go in the country. That¡¯s not the case for this light and fluffy deep-fried dumpling.
People in the Kansai region usually call this dish ³ó¾±°ù²â¨³ú³Ü or ³ó¾±°ù¨²õ³Ü, while people in the Kanto region call it ganmodoki. Nowadays, both names refer to the same dish with a few variations, but it hasn¡¯t always been that way. Meaning "like wild goose," ganmodoki arose during the Edo Period (1603-1868) as a dish within sh¨jin ry¨ri (traditional vegetarian Buddhist cuisine) ¡ª ground konnyaku (devil¡¯s tongue) and mixed vegetables fried to taste, it was said, like goose. On the other hand, the name ¡°³ó¾±°ù²â¨³ú³Ü¡± originates from the Portuguese word ¡°filhos,¡± which refers to a type of sweet, fried, flower-shaped fritter.
Whatever you call these tasty dumplings, feel free to mix any finely cut vegetables into the tofu base besides the ones in the recipe. For a non-vegan twist, you can use an egg as a binder instead of grated yamaimo (yam). Don't be too worried if the dumplings turn out a little malformed, but for visually appealing dumplings, drain the tofu for longer or add more starch to the mix.
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