Age Tofu Appetizer At Shin Chon Garden

You barely need an appetizer at Shin Chon Garden because the Korean barbecue comes with a table of panchan, the rotating small dishes of vegetables, pickles, and maybe a little meat.

But the agedashi tofu is a delicious way to start.  Silken tofu is dusted with starch and then deep-fried.  It comes out warm in a bowl with a broth that tastes of soy sauce and maybe a fish broth.  It's topped with bonito flakes -- razor-thin slices of dried fish that wave in the heat coming off the tofu.

It's crisp, but light.  I look to the age tofu when we eat with four or five people at the Ellicott City restaurant.  I order an appetizer and then one fewer main dish than the folks at the table.  The tofu is light, and no one goes home hungry after we eat a Korean feast.