Tofu on Stilts

Dengaku is a popular dish at the teahouses that line the lovely Philosopher’s Walk in Kyoto. The dish takes its curious name from the Japanese word for stilt. The stilts in question are two bamboo skewers that are used to hold the piece of tofu over the coals as it grills. The traditional grill for cooking dengaku does not have a grate. Instead, the skewers are propped up over the flames and the tofu is grilled in midair—what I call grateless grilling. Acceptable results can b