Tofu Salad with Cucumber
This cucumber tofu salad is composed of golden fried tofu, crunchy cucumber, and fresh herbs with a simple dressing. A quick, easy, and filling salad for a healthy lunch or dinner.
Servings: 3 people
Calories: 234kcal
Ingredients
- 10.5 oz tofu
- 1/4 teaspoon salt (plus more to salt the cucumber)
- 1/8 teaspoon black pepper
- 10.5 oz cucumber, seeded and julienned
- 1 oz julienned carrot (about ⅓ cup)
- 1 oz thinly sliced onion (about ¼ cup)
- 1 oz picked fresh herbs such as cilantro, Thai basil, mint, roughly chopped (about 1 - 1¼ cups)
For the Dressing
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar (plus more to soak the onion)
- 3 tablespoons neutral-flavored vegetable oil (plus more oil to fry the tofu)
- 1/2 teaspoon minced shallot
- 1 teaspoon honey (or maple syrup)
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/8 teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- Wrap the tofu block with some layers of paper towel. Place a moderately heavy object on top to drain out excess water for about 10 minutes. Then cut into thin slices.
- Place a pan over medium heat and add cooking oil to generously coat the bottom. Once the oil is hot, sprinkle half of the salt and pepper over tofu slices then add them to the pan. Fry until both sides are golden, flipped once.
- While prepping and frying the tofu, slice the cucumber, carrot and onion. Soak the cucumber in 2 cups (480ml) cold water with ¾ teaspoon salt for 10-15 minutes. Soak the carrot and onion in 1 cup (240ml) water with 1 tablespoon vinegar for the same amount of time.
- Drain the cucumber and give it a gentle squeeze. Also drain the carrot and onion. Set aside.
- Once the tofu is golden on both sides, transfer to a wired rack or a plate lined with paper towel to absorb excess oil. When it has cooled down enough to handle, cut into strips.
- Whisk together all the ingredients for the dressing until well-combined. Taste and adjust to your liking. Place cucumber, carrot and onion in a mixing bowl and toss with half of the dressing.
- Add the tofu strips and chopped herbs to the mixing bowl and gently toss. Transfer the salad to a serving plate and drizzle the remaining dressing.
Notes
You should use tofu that is suitable for pan-frying. It can be firm or medium-firm tofu. Even some soft tofu can be fried.
In case you don’t have rice vinegar, try white wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar.
I use yellow onion, but red onion will work too.
Nutrition
Calories: 234kcal | Carbohydrates: 9g | Protein: 10g | Fat: 18g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 10g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 1g | Sodium: 405mg | Potassium: 233mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 2289IU | Vitamin C: 7mg | Calcium: 151mg | Iron: 2mg