As someone who has only made this dish twice, you may or may not consider me qualified to make...

Comments on Preparation:

  1. Cut the silken tofu into bite-sized pieces rather than quarters for these reasons:
    1. Silken tofu tends to fall apart when you're trying to manipulate large chunks of it.
    2. The crust of the fried tofu will be difficult to cut with a spoon, so you'll end up eating the gooey insides and then having to deal with the skin.
    3. Smaller pieces cook faster.
  2. Don't use the cornstarch for these reasons:
    1. It doesn't stick to the tofu evenly.
    2. It cooks faster than the surface of tofu.
    3. If you didn't do a perfect job of patting the tofu dry, soon you'll have a cornstarch and water mixture all over the place.
    4. This dish is just as good without it.
  3. Don't put that much ginger in, sensei is a nutcase.
  4. Feel free to use chicken stock if you don't have vegetable stock available.
  5. Put some wasabi powder in the sauce (before you heat it, or it'll clump). Why? Because sensei told us to!