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Pressed Tofu Salad

There are two keys to this salad. The first is buying dry, pressed tofu (bean curd), which is sold at most Asian food markets and some natural food stores. It’s much firmer than regular tofu and has a dense, chewy texture and a brown skin. (If you can’t find it, use extra-firm tofu and press it yourself; see page 491.) The second key is allowing the salad to marinate long enough for the tofu to absorb the dressing. That part’s easy, but it does require advance planning.

Recipe information

  • Yield

    makes 4 to 6 servings as a salad or starter

Ingredients

1 pound dry pressed tofu
2 medium to large carrots
2 large celery stalks
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon Tabasco sauce
1/4 cup dark sesame oil

Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Cut the bean curd into 2-inch matchsticks; grate the carrots and celery. Whisk together the remaining ingredients.

    Step 2

    Toss everything together and let it marinate for at least 2 hours in the refrigerator. Toss again immediately before serving.

The Best Recipes in the World by Mark Bittman. © 2005 by Mark Bittman. Published by Broadway Books. All Rights Reserved. MARK BITTMAN is the author of the blockbuster The Best Recipes in the World (Broadway, 2005) and the classic bestseller How to Cook Everything, which has sold more than one million copies. He is also the coauthor, with Jean-Georges Vongerichten, of Simple to Spectacular and Jean-Georges: Cooking at Home with a Four-Star Chef. Mr. Bittman is a prolific writer, makes frequent appearances on radio and television, and is the host of The Best Recipes in the World, a 13-part series on public television. He lives in New York and Connecticut.
TagsSaladChineseEast AsianAsianTofuSideMainLunchDinnerVeganVegetarianDairy FreeEasyNo-CookLunar New YearCookbooks
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