Hi Shylo, that's the gelled starch absorbing the liquid, and how agedashi tofu is supposed to be. If you don't like that, I recommend following the frying steps for this recipe: https://norecipes.com/crispy-tofu-bites/ and then you can soak them in the dashi. There's no coating to get soggy, and the crisped tofu will absorb the sauce like a sponge.

Hi Marina, the starch is a little sticky when you first put it in the oil. If you leave it there for a while without touching it, it should form a crust and not be sticky.

Hi Serena, I'm based in Japan so the brands I use here aren't likely to be available elsewhere. The two brands I see almost everywhere that are pretty good are House Foods (sold in refrigerated plastic tubs), and Morinaga (sold in Tetrapacked cartons often at room temperature). The House Foods one is better, but Morinaga isn't bad. Otherwise look for tofu with a smooth shiny surface without any texture or pitting. I hope that helps!

That's what I'm here for😉 Good luck with it! As for the seeds I'm not sure it's the same kind of cannabis used for recreational purposes... it might be hemp?

Wow, thanks for the explanation Marc! I live in the Bay Area (where you used to live), so I may have some luck in finding the ingredients. There are several good Japanese grocery stores near me. (Hmmm, and cannabis is legal in California...)

Hi Wendy, "Ichi" means "one", both "nana" and "shichi" mean "seven". "Mi" means "taste". "Torgarashi" means "chili pepper", so if you ask a Japanese person for Togarashi without specifying shichimi, you'll just get chili peppers. So ichimi togarashi is a chili powder with only 1 taste (i.e. it only includes ground up chili peppers). And Shichimi/Nanami Togarashi has 7 flavors (the blend varies by brand). As for why some people call it shichimi and some people call it nanami, it's a complicated explanation but put simply "shi" sounds like the word for death in Japanese, so some superstitious people prefer saying "nana" instead. There are a ton of things that can go into a blend, but the basic ingredients are usually, chili pepper powder, sesame seeds, aonori, dried shiso, dried Sansho pepper, dried yuzu peel, cannabis seeds, dried Ume powder. If you can get ahold of these ingredients it's just a matter of blending them to your tastes, but I think most of these are pretty hard to get outside of Japan.