This is a really easy salad to make, and it keeps well. Make it at night, eat it for lunch. Or prepare this tofu salad as part of a bigger Thai dinner. It also works on its own as a light entree for a busy weekday. It’s vegan, vegetarian, and depending on the soy sauce or tamari you use, it can be gluten free. But even if you’re a meat eater, this is so satisfying with so many intense flavors, you’ll be just as happy as a vegan with the tofu.
Recipe: (Vegan) Thai Tofu Salad
(serves 2 as entree or 4 as side dish)
Ingredients
Dressing:
- 2 tablespoon tamari or soy sauce (my favorite soy sauce is Nama Shoyu)
- 1/3 cup fresh lime juice
- 1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar (make sure the one you buy has no sugar added)
- 1-3 Thai bird chili, serrano, habanero, or jalapeno peppers, seeds and ribs removed, finely diced, test for heat before using all 3
- 1/2 cup shallots, finely diced
- 2 tablespoons organic black sesame oil
Salad:
- 1/4 cup coconut oil (or grape seed oil)
- 1 pound organic (non-GMO) extra-firm tofu, cut into 1/4 inch thick slabs
- 2 cloves of garlic, minced
- 1 cup medium diced seedless cucumber
- 1 red bell pepper, cored, seeded, diced
- 4 green onions, stem to root, finely diced
- 1/2 cup cilantro leaves, chopped
- 1/2 cup fresh mint, chopped
- Sea salt and black pepper, to taste
Preparation
- For the dressing, whisk together all the ingredients, allow to sit.
- For the salad, heat the oil over a medium-high flame in a cast iron skillet. Cook the garlic for about 15 seconds, add the tofu (pat it dry before putting it in the skillet) in a single layer to the skillet, cook until golden, about 3-5 minutes. Flip and brown on the other side. Remove from the skillet, allow to cool. Slice it thinly into bite-sized pieces. Toss the tofu and all remaining ingredients with the dressing. Reserve some of the cilantro and mint to garnish each plate.