Tofu Salad

Tofu can be a great ingredient in salads. This is a simple tofu salad with tomatoes.

Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients:

• 1 block silken or cotton tofu (about 12 oz.), cut into bite-sized pieces
• 2 tomatoes, thinly sliced into half-rounds or quarter-rounds.
• 1 clove garlic, thinly sliced
• 2 shiso leaves, sliced into thin strips *optional
• *For dressing
• 3 Tbsp soy sauce
• 1 Tbsp sesame oil
• 1 Tbsp rice vinegar
• 1/2 Tbsp sugar

Preparation:

1. Heat a little bit of oil in a small skillet and fry garlic slices until browned.
2. Arrange tomatoes and tofu on a plate.
3. Top with shiso leaves.
4. Sprinkle fried garlic over the salad.
5. Mix soy sauce, vinegar, sugar, and sesame oil in a small bowl.
6. Pour the dressing over the salad before eating. 

http://japanesefood.about.com/od/tofu/r/tofusalad.htm

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Shiraae Recipe

Shiraae is a traditional Japanese tofu dish in which various ingredients are dressed with seasoned mashed tofu.

Ingredients:

• 14 oz cotton tofu (firm tofu)
• 1/4 lb carrots, peeled and cut into thin strips
• 4 shiitake mushroom, stem removed, and thinly sliced
• 1/2 lb fresh spinach
• 1/2 cup dashi
• 2 Tbsp mirin
• 2 Tbsp soy sauce
• 2 tsp sugar
• *for seasoning tofu sauce
• 2 Tbsp roasted white sesame seeds
• 2 Tbsp soy sauce
• 2 1/2 Tbsp sugar

Preparation:

Wrap tofu with paper towels and place it on a flat tray. Put a cutting board or a flat plate on top the tofu and let sit for about 15 minutes. Lightly squeeze tofu in a cotton cloth to drain out excess water. Strain tofu through a strainer to a large bowl. Set aside. Put dashi, mirin, soy sauce, and sugar in a small pan and bring to a boil. Add carrot and shiitake mushroom and simmer on medium heat until carrots are softened. Set aside. Boil lots of water in a large pot. Boil spinach for about one minute. Drain and soak the spinach in water until cool. Drain and squeeze the spinach to remove the excess liquid. Cut spinach into about 1 inch lengths. Grind roasted sesame seeds in suribashi (or spice grinder). Mix soy sauce and sugar in the sesame seeds. Season mashed tofu with the sauce. Drain carrot and shiitake and add in the tofu. Add spinach and mix with tofu. *Makes 4 servings

http://japanesefood.about.com/od/tofu/r/shiroae.htm

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Recipe: Spinach and Tofu Salad with Sesame Miso Dressing
Ingredients:
1 pack organic baby spinach (I got mine at Costco)
1 pinch sesame seeds (for garnishing)
1/2 block tofu (cut into small cubes)
Low Fat Japanese Sesame Miso Dressing:
1 tablespoon white miso
1 tablespoon ponzu sauce
1/2 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon sesame seeds (ground with mortar and pestle)
1/4 cup water
Method:
Mix the sesame miso dressing ingredients until well blended. (You can heat up the dressing in a small sauce pan and chill in the fridge for 30 minutes before use.)
Wash the baby spinach and drain excess water. In a salad bowl, toss the baby spinach with tofu and sesame miso dressing. Dish out and serve cold.

 http://rasamalaysia.com/recipe-spinach-and-tofu-salad-with/

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Wednesday, March 30, 2011

Tofu Salad with Red Shiso, Nori, Bonito Flakes and Banno Soy Sauce

It all started with this cute little pot of red shiso microherbs that I found in Northbridge Plaza.

We used to live in a townhouse a few blocks away from this plaza and I haven't been back there often since we moved to a different suburb a few years ago. I have always loved to shop there because of the Tokyo Mart and Alfresco Emporium (they have since moved to Collaroy). Over the years though, lots of the independent retailers such as the bookstore, the bakery and some of the clothing stores have been replaced by bigger chain stores.
A few weeks ago, I have started going to a new Pilates studio for my weekly Pilates lesson. The Pilates studio is close to this plaza and so I started to shop there again and I love what I have found in Antico's Fruit World adjacent to Tokyo Mart. One of The Wiggles segment to promote fresh fruits and vegetables for kids was filmed here and I believe Tokyo Mart is the place where Maeve O'Meara and Tetsuya Wakuda filmed shopping for Japanese grocery in one of the episodes of Food Safari, but please correct me if I am wrong.
Zucchini Flower Tempura, Posh Prawn Toast (recipe coming soon) and this tofu salad dish are the results of my finds from Antico's Fruit World. Red shiso leaves are often used in Japan to make tempura, and to color pickled plums (umeboshi). They can also be used fresh in salads, soups, and as a garnish.

I reckon the anise flavour from the leaves pairs wonderfully with the silky texture of tofu. I grabbed what I had from my pantry - nori (Japanese seaweed) and bonito flakes (katsuobushi), and whipped up this quick and easy salad.

I have adapted the Banno soy sauce (I have slightly adjusted the proportion of the mirin & soy sauce) from my favourite Japanese cookbook author, Harumi Kurihara. It is a simple sauce that is made of mirin, soy sauce and kombu seaweed (dried kelp) and it is slightly milder and sweeter than the normal soy sauce and can be used in many different dishes including this salad. You can make a large batch and store in refrigerator.

Tofu Salad with Red Shiso, Nori, Bonito and Banno Soy Sauce Serve 4
Ingredient
2 blocks silken firm tofu (or use my homemade tofu recipe)
Handful of red shiso microherbs
1 small sheet of nori (Japanese seaweed), use a kitchen scissors to cut into small batons
2 tbsp Bonito flakes
Banno Soy Sauce:1/4 cup soy sauce
1/8 cup mirin
1 inch piece kombu seaweed

Method

1. Heat mirin in a small saucepan under medium heat. Bring to a boil and simmer for a further 2-3 minutes to burn off the alcohol.
2. Remove from heat and add soy sauce and kombu.
3. Let it cool to room temperature and refrigerate until needed.
4. Slice tofu into small blocks and lay them out on serving plate.
5. Sprinkle with red shiso, bonito flakes and nori.
6. Pour the banno soy sauce over the salad and serve immediately.

 

http://almostbourdain.blogspot.com/2011/03/tofu-salad-with-red-shiso-nori-bonito.html 

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The next two were tofu dishes costing a buck more, but proved much more substantial.  First was a kind of tofu salad, while a classic agedashi tofu followed:

http://akueats.com/hanamaru-a-closer-look.asp