You will find Aki's Hand at the Adelaide Showground Farmers Market every week at Site #33

Produce: handmade tofu and tofu products

Contact Details

Many shoppers at the Market will have seen a Japanese inspired stall with tofu-based products made by Aki Kurashima. All his products are beautifully presented and delectably different . A gluten-free soy milk fondant chocolate with a baked crunchy surface and a soft, melt in your mouth texture inside is just one of the products you will find at Aki’s Hand.

Aki’s Hand began when Aki and his wife Mayu moved to Adelaide in 2006 after many years working as a chef in Tokyo restaurants. The couple chose Adelaide after hearing that it was famous for its food and culture.  They decided to start Aki's Hand in their home in Kilkenny after studying macrobiotic food and hearing how macrobiotic food helps with allergies and promotes weight-loss.

The word “macrobiotic” means the way to a long life and Aki describes a macrobiotic diet as an approach to life rather than a diet.

“Food and food quality strong affects health, well-being and happiness.  That is why choosing food is very important.  Macrobiotic emphasises locally grown whole grain cereals and pulses, vegetables, seaweed, soy and soy products and fruits combined into meals. According to this principal, we produce our macrobiotic products using local materials as much as possible so the Farmers Market is very great place to us!”

As part of this macrobiotic approach, Aki's products are handmade and unprocessed, containing no artificial additives and are available gluten-free. Aki uses a lot of tofu in his products because he says “tofu is the only soy product that is easily digestible by the body”.  Although hand-made tofu is the most time-consuming of all the products Aki makes, he likes its flexibility.
“It can taste like meat, fish or sweet depending on how it is cooked,” he said.

A lot of Aki’s products contain okara, the insoluble part of the soybean which is a by-product of soy milk production. Okara is high fibre and low fat and contains protein, calcium, iron and riboflavin.

Aki uses okara to make the biscuits, cakes, quiche, gyoza (Japanese dumplings) and salad that you find at his Market stall.  He also makes a unique okara and beef curry doughnut.  Another of Aki’s products is Japanese Unohana, a side-dish made from okara, carrot, shiitake mushroom and Konnyaku (a vegan substitute for gelatin), stewed together with soy sauce and mirin (Japanese rice wine).

According to Aki, his products’ beautiful presentation is part of Japanese tradition to present food like a gift.

"We would like all customers to enjoy our food with their eyes, nose as well as tongue,” he said.
“We deliver a lovely package. We ensure that packaging is very presentable and we like to be creative. We always strive to create beautiful dishes regarding food shape as well as taste."

The couple also cater for businesses, weddings and home parties, as well as selling from their website.