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Japanese tofu salad
Tofu sarada: chilled tofu on lettuce, tomato and cucumber with sesame-soy dressing
Tofu sarada is a fixture on Japanese izakaya menus and family dinner tables everywhere from Tokyo to Fukuoka, especially in the humid summer months. Cool cubes of tofu sit on crisp lettuce, tomato and cucumber under a sesame-soy dressing sharpened with rice vinegar and ginger, with a few strands of wakame if you have them. It makes a light dinner with rice and miso soup. The usual mistake is not draining the tofu, so its water dilutes the dressing into a bland pool. Many shop-bought wafu dressings contain bonito; this home-made one is vegan. Chef's tip: dress the salad at the table so the leaves stay crisp.
- Total time
- 10 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 2
Ingredients
- 10 ½ oz firm tofudrained
- 3 ½ oz lettuce leavestorn
- 1 tomatocut into wedges
- ½ cucumberthinly sliced
- ⅛ oz dried wakame (optional)soaked 5 minutes and squeezed
- 1 spring onionfinely sliced
- 1 tbsp toasted sesame seeds
For the dressing
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 ½ tbsp rice vinegar
- 1 tbsp toasted sesame oil
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1 tsp fresh gingerfinely grated
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Method
0/4 doneStep 1: Wrap 10 ½ oz firm tofu in kitchen paper, set a plate on top and leave for 5 minutes to press out water. Cut into 2 cm cubes.
5 minStep 2: Whisk 2 tbsp soy sauce, 1 ½ tbsp rice vinegar, 1 tbsp toasted sesame oil, 1 tsp sugar and 1 tsp fresh ginger until the sugar dissolves.
Step 3: Arrange 3 ½ oz lettuce leaves, 1 tomato, ½ cucumber and ⅛ oz dried wakame on a plate and pile the tofu on top.
Step 4: Scatter with 1 spring onion and 1 tbsp toasted sesame seeds and pour over the dressing just before eating.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 240 kcal
- Protein
- 18 g
- Carbs
- 12 g
- Fat
- 14 g
- Fibre
- 4 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does japanese tofu salad take?
- About 10 minutes in total.
- How many people does it serve?
- 2 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegan?
- Yes. It has no meat, fish, dairy or eggs.
- What can I use instead of tomato?
- Tinned chopped tomatoes: a 400g tin for about 6 tomatoes (in cooked dishes, not salads).
- What can I use instead of cucumber?
- Courgette, same weight (in salads, use young ones).
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