Yozakura Pasta – Tofu Pesto with Salted Sakura & Seaweed Sky, クリーミーな白和え衣との、夜桜パスタ

Yozakura Pasta – Tofu Pesto with Salted Sakura & Seaweed Sky

I’m fully in a sakura state of mind—and as long as my jar of salt-pickled cherry blossoms lasts, I’ll keep crafting dishes to celebrate the season.

In Japan, cherry blossoms (sakura) are pale, fleeting, and deeply symbolic. April, with its blend of goodbyes and fresh starts—graduations, job changes, new school years—carries emotional weight. It’s the time for reflection and renewal.

This pasta has become my favorite way to honor spring, especially while living in Singapore, where there’s no visible seasonal shift. The dish draws from the poetic concept of “Yozakura” (夜桜)—the quiet beauty of sakura viewed at night. The raw egg yolk becomes the moon, and the seaweed paste becomes the night sky.

This time, with my leftover pesto from the watercress salad.

Visual Guide to the Recipe

Ingredient list & Steps in Text

Ingredients (Serves 2)

Tofu Pesto Sauce

• 150–200g silken tofu (drained well)
• 2 tsp white miso (Saikyo miso the best)
• 1 TBS sesame paste
• 1 tsp light soy sauce
• 1 tsp sugar or mirin
• A few salt-pickled sakura petals, rinsed & soaked, minced

Nori Paste (Tsukudani-style)

• 50g sheet dried seaweed, rehydrated & lightly drained
• 2 TBS soy sauce
• 1 TBS sugar
• 1 tsp mirin
• 1/2 tsp sake

To Finish

• ±100g pasta (Fettuccine)
• 1 raw pasteurized egg yolk or soft-boiled egg, per portion
• Extra sakura blossoms (for topping)

Instructions

1. Prep the tofu sauce
   Drain the tofu well (press under a weight like a wine bottle for 30–60 min).
   Blend with miso, soy sauce, sugar, and sakura petals until smooth.
2. Make the nori paste
   Simmer softened seaweed with soy sauce, mirin, sake, and sugar until thick and glossy. Set aside.
3. Cook the pasta
   Boil pasta as per package instructions. Drain and reserve some cooking water.
4. Combine and plate
   Warm the tofu sauce gently in a pan (no oil). Stir in the pasta and mix, adjusting with reserved water as needed. Plate the pasta, top with the nori paste, add a raw yolk or soft-boiled egg, and garnish with sakura.

A gentle dish, visually poetic and nourishing.

クリーミーな白和え衣との、夜桜パスタ

夜桜をテーマに、春を味わう“妄想レシピ”。
塩漬け桜がほんのり香る、豆腐ソースの春パスタです。

🌸材料メモ（1〜2人分）
・絹ごし豆腐（しっかり水切り）150〜200g
・白みそ（西京味噌など）大さじ1.5
・薄口醤油 小さじ1
・砂糖 or みりん 小さじ1
・塩抜きした桜の花 少々

・海苔の佃煮風ペースト：戻した海苔、しょうゆ、みりん、酒、砂糖 各少々で煮詰める
・お好みのパスタ（カッペリーニなど）80〜100g
・卵黄（または半熟卵）、桜の花（飾り用）

🌸簡単な手順
① 豆腐ソースを作る（水切りした豆腐＋調味料＋桜をブレンダーで）
② 海苔ペーストを佃煮風に煮詰める
③ パスタを茹でて、豆腐ソースで和える（必要に応じて茹で汁追加）
④ 盛り付け：パスタ、海苔ペースト、卵黄、桜の順で仕上げ