Here's a popular recipe around the house. For the kiddos/spice-sensitive, we keep the dressing and tofu separate.
Oriental tofu salad -- www.jimcarson.com
Salad:
1 head lettuce
6 green onions
1 carrot, shredded
1/2 C peas
2 T sesame seeds
1/2 C slivered almonds
1 block of tofu (or you could use 1 C of cooked, diced chicken)
Dressing:
2 T soy sauce (I recommend Yamasa brand)
2 T rice vinegar
1 T sesame oil
1 T vegetable oil
1 T fresh ginger, minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 t sugar
1/4 t pepper
Garnish:
Chow mein noodles
- Squeeze the water out of the tofu. Take the block, put between two plates, and put a heavy book on top. This will take about 5-10 minutes.
- Combine dressing ingredients and let stand 1/2 hour at room temperature to blend flavors.
- Toast the sesame seeds and almonds. (optional)
- Heat 2 T oil in a skillet. Cut the tofu into cubes (1/2" works, but experiment) and brown on all sides. (As I type this, I wonder if it'd be better to slice it into slabs and cook it that way.)
- Combine tofu and dressing. Let stand for a few minutes to absorb flavor.
- Toss all the salad ingredients together.
- Serve, topped with chow mein noodles.
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