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Malan tou with pressed tofu
Aster greens and pressed tofu salad
Malan tou ban xiang gan (马兰头拌香干): Jiangnan spring salad of chopped aster greens and pressed tofu
When the first malan tou shoots appear in Shanghai, Suzhou and Hangzhou markets in early spring, families make this little cold dish to start a meal: the tender aster leaves are blanched, chopped very fine and mixed with diced smoked pressed tofu, salt, a pinch of sugar and sesame oil. It tastes grassy, nutty and clean. Malan tou can be hard to find outside China; young spinach or shepherd's purse works well. As a side dish for four, each portion has about 120 kcal and roughly 9 g of protein, from the pressed tofu, so it is light rather than high in protein. The common mistake is leaving the greens wet, which dilutes the dressing; squeeze them hard. Chef's tip: press the mixture into a small bowl and turn it out onto the plate for the traditional neat mound.
- Total time
- 18 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
- 14 oz malan tou (Indian aster) or young spinachwashed, tough stems removed
- 7 oz smoked pressed tofu (xiang gan)cut into 3 mm dice
- ¾ tsp salt
- ½ tsp sugar
- 1 ½ tbsp toasted sesame oil
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Method
0/5 doneStep 1: Bring a large pan of water to the boil. Add 14 oz malan tou (Indian aster) or young spinach and blanch for 30–60 seconds, just until the leaves wilt and turn bright green.
2 minStep 2: Drain and plunge into iced water so they keep their colour. Then squeeze the greens firmly in your hands until no more water drips out.
Step 3: Chop the squeezed greens very finely, almost to a mince.
Step 4: Mix the greens with 7 oz smoked pressed tofu (xiang gan), ¾ tsp salt, ½ tsp sugar and 1 ½ tbsp toasted sesame oil until evenly dressed. Taste and add more salt if needed.
Step 5: Pack into a small bowl, turn out onto a plate and serve cold or at room temperature.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 120 kcal
- Protein
- 9 g
- Carbs
- 5 g
- Fat
- 8 g
- Fibre
- 3 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
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Good to know
- How long does malan tou with pressed tofu take?
- About 18 minutes in total: 15 minutes to prepare and 3 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 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.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- What can I use instead of sugar?
- Caster sugar, same amount.
- What can I use instead of toasted sesame oil?
- Toasted sesame seeds ground with a little vegetable oil.
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