Hiyayakko 101 (Japanese Cold Tofu) with 15 Best Topping Ideas

What is Hiyayakko?

Hiyayakko (冷奴) is a dish made with cold, uncooked tofu, cut into large squares, and topped with condiments such as spring onions, ginger, dried bonito flakes, and soy sauce.

It’s a simple yet tasty and refreshing side dish that you can whip up any time, no cooking required!

Type of Tofu to Use

As you might already know, tofu roughly has 2 main types: silken (絹) and firm (木綿). (And in between this, there are different levels of “firmness,” but that’s another story.)

Long story short, there’s no rule of which one to use for hiyayakko.

Choose firm tofu for its rich flavor or silken tofu for its light texture, depending on your mood and preference of the day.

I personally prefer to use silken tofu for hiyayakko. According to a survey conducted by kafura (2021), 65.6% of Japanese people prefer silken tofu for hiyayakko!

As the name suggests, firm tofu is much firmer and has a coarser texture than silken tofu.

15 Topping Ideas

Okay, to make this post, I have been eating hiyayakko with different toppings every single night for research purposes. Here, I will list my findings with my personal rating. I hope you will be able to find the best hiyayakko to suit your own tastes!

Grated ginger+Spring onions+Bonito flakes (Standard)

These are the most standard hiyayakko toppings:

• Bonito flakes (katsuobushi)
• Grated ginger (ginger paste)
• Chopped spring onions
• Soy sauce

As a Japanese myself, this is the topping combo I think of first.

• Amount: 1 tbsp bonito flakes, 1 tbsp chopped spring onion, and 1 tsp grated ginger with soy sauce
• Recommended: For the most simple hiyayakko
• My personal rating: ★★★★★ (5/5)

Tanuki Hiyayakko

The word tanuki means Japanese raccoon dog, but in a cooking context, it often refers to something with tenkasu (tempura bits), like tanuki udon. This tanuki hiyayakko consists of tenkasu, bonito flakes, and chopped spring onion!

This is literally one of the best variations of hiyayakko, in my opinion, because it has some crunch!

• Amount: 1-2 tbsp tenkasu, 1 tbsp chopped spring onion, and 1 tsp bonito flake (katsuobushi) with soy sauce or tsuyu sauce
• Recommended: For ultimate hiyayakko
• My personal rating: ★★★★★ (5/5)

Fried onions & Chopped Green Onion

A more easily accessible version of tanuki hiyayakko is above. The main purpose is to create a crunchy texture, right? If you can’t get tenkasu easily, it’s definitely worth trying! It adds a pleasant oniony flavor, too.

• Amount: 1-2 tbsp fried onion bits and 1 tbsp chopped spring onion with soy sauce or tsuyu sauce
• Recommended: For an easier version of ultimate hiyayakko
• My personal rating: ★★★★★ (5/5)

Natto & Chopped Green Onion

I know natto is controversial, especially outside Japan, but if you do like natto, go for it!

It really does go nicely with chilled tofu! And if you’re a fan of natto, you should also check out my post with 26 different topping ideas!

• Amount: 1 pack of natto, 1/2 tbsp of chopped spring onion
• Recommended: Someone who likes natto
• My personal rating: ★★★★★ (5/5)

Kimchi & Korean-style Seaweed

The chemistry between the refreshment of cold tofu and spicy kimchi is undeniable. It’s such a good combo, and the experience can be enhanced with Korean-style seaweed! If you like kimchi, this is a great option!

• Amount: 3 tbsp kimchi and 1 tbsp Korean-style seaweed
• Recommended: Someone who likes kimchi and Korean flavor
• My personal rating: ★★★★★ (5/5)

Ground Meat

This is more of a meal like hiyayakko with cooked minced meat! I already have recipes for flavored mince meat, so you can refer to one! One is from Soba Noodle Salad with Summer Vegetables, and the other is from Chicken “Sanshoku Soboro Don” Rice Bowl.

In the picture above, I used the miso-flavored chicken mince from my soba noodle salad recipe.

• Amount: 2-3 tbsp of cooked mince (see the detailed recipe above)
• Recommended: Someone who wants to make it meaty
• My personal rating: ★★★★☆ (4/5)

Tobanjan

Do you like spicy food? Then this tobanjan hiyayakko might be for you! This sauce is made with tobanjan, soy sauce, honey, sesame oil, and sesame seeds, topped with chopped spring onion, nori seaweed, and chili strings. This is actually quite hot, so be careful!

• Amount: 1/2 tbsp tobanjan, 1/2 sesame oil, 1 tsp soy sauce, 1 tsp sesame seeds, 1/2 tsp honey topped with 1 tbsp chopped green onion, 1 tsp kizami nori and chili strings
• Recommended: Someone who likes spicy food
• My personal rating: ★★★★☆ (4/5)

Salad Chicken

Salad chicken is basically a boiled-flavored chicken breast that has been trendy for a while in Japan. This is especially good if you want your hiyayakko to be more filling and meaty! Recipe for salad chicken and the sauce can be found here.

• Amount: The desired amount of salad chicken and the sauce (you can find the recipe here) topped with chopped spring onions
• Recommended: Someone who wants to make hiyayakko more filling and meaty
• My personal rating: ★★★★☆ (4/5)

Shirasu

Boiled whitebait is a popular topping for many things, including rice, natto, and tofu! It gives the tofu a bit of fishiness and a different texture.

Classic topping!

• Amount: 2-3 tbsp shirasu (boiled whitebait) with soy sauce or tsuyu sauce
• Recommended: Someone who likes shirasu or fish
• My personal rating: ★★★★☆ (4/5)

Mashed Umeboshi (Pickled Plum) & Shiso Leaves

Classic combo (umeboshi and shiso leaves) on tofu! If you like sour flavors, this is definitely the one to go for. Mash the flesh of the umeboshi and garnish it with a bit of finely sliced shiso leaf.

• Amount: 1-2 umeboshi and 2 shiso leaves
• Recommended: Someone who likes sour flavors
• My personal rating: ★★★★☆ (4/5)

Grated Daikon

Do you like sourness from radish and refreshing food? Adding grated daikon makes hiyayakko even more refreshing! Highly recommended!

• Amount: 1 tbsp grated daikon with soy sauce
• Recommended: Someone who likes sour and refreshing food
• My personal rating: ★★★★☆ (4/5)

Kimchi & Egg yolk

Classic Japanese and Korean fusion! We love Korean kimchi, and it’s a common item in Japanese households. Egg yolk is just the icing on the cake.

But please make sure to use fresh and pasteurized eggs.

• Amount: 1 egg yolk and 2-3 tbsp kimchi
• Recommended: Someone who likes the spicy and sour flavor
• My personal rating: ★★★★☆ (4/5)

Mashed avocado & Wasabi & Soy sauce

Modern Japanese dishes use a lot of avocados. While it’s not used traditionally, we love it, especially with wasabi! This is a modern twist, yet it has a Japanese component to it.

If you like mashed avocados, it’s worth a try!

• Amount: 1/2 medium-sized mashed avocado, 1 tbsp soy sauce, and 1/4 to 1/2 tsp wasabi (optionally topped with a bit of sesame seed and kizami nori)
• Recommended: Someone who likes avocado
• My personal rating: ★★★★☆ (4/5)

Mentaiko & Cream Cheese & Ooba Leaves & Black Pepper

It’s a delicious combo of mentaiko, cheese, and ooba leaves. It creates a great creamy texture, but tofu is already creamy, so this one is probably better with firm tofu.

• Amount: 25g mentaiko, 1 tbsp cream cheese, 1 tsp milk, 2 ooba leaves and pinch of pepper
• Recommended: Someone who likes creamy
• My personal rating: ★★★☆☆ (3/5)

Wasabi & Tinned Tuna & Soy Sauce

If you like tinned tuna, it might be worth trying it on hiyayakko too! It’s really down to whether you like the taste of tinned tuna or not, but wasabi and soy sauce make it a good element on tofu.

• Amount: 50g tinned tuna, 1 tsp soy sauce, 1/2 tsp wasabi (or more if you like more wasabi spiciness)
• Recommended: Someone who likes the flavor of tinned tuna
• My personal rating: ★★★☆☆ (3/5)

I hope you enjoy this Hiyayakko article! If you try it out, I’d really appreciate it if you could spare a moment to let me know what you thought by giving a review and star rating in the comments below. It’s also helpful to share any adjustments you made to the recipe with our other readers. Thank you!