Xie Xie's Tofu Salad with Pickled Vegetables

This meal would have been much more successful if I had eaten it for lunch the next day as was my plan. I made it at night, thinking it would sit and marinate overnight as the recipe said it could...and then I'd have it the next day. However, out of laziness for putting the final touches on it in the AM as I was scurrying out the door, I did not bring it in for lunch. I did not have it for dinner. I did not have it for lunch the NEXT day. FINALLY, two days after preparing this meal, I had it for dinner.

The tofu was marinating in soy sauce.

Soy sauce is SALTY.

My tofu was SALTY.

Oh well.

I still ate it...the doctor said that I needed added sodium anyhow so best to just throw in into my body all at once.

Nonetheless, I could tell the actual recipe was quite good.

Xie Xie's Tofu Salad with Pickled Vegetables

PICKLED RED CABBAGE
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 pound red cabbage, finely shredded (4 cups) - I didn't have this and used radicchio instead...a much more bitter substitute but it's what I had

CARROT KIMCHI
1 tablespoon Sriracha chile sauce
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
1 1/2 tablespoons Asian fish sauce
1 tablespoon sugar
1 pound carrots, finely julienned

MARINATED-TOFU SALAD
One 14-ounce block firm tofu, drained and patted dry
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
3/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup fresh orange juice
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons mayonnaise (I used plain greek yogurt)
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
1 teaspoon sugar
Salt and freshly ground pepper
5 ounces mesclun salad greens

DIRECTIONS

MAKE THE PICKLED CABBAGE: In a resealable plastic bag, combine the vinegar, sugar and salt, shaking to dissolve the sugar. Add the cabbage. Seal the bag, pressing out the air. Let stand for 4 hours or refrigerate overnight.

MAKE THE CARROT KIMCHI: In a resealable plastic bag, combine the Sriracha with the rice vinegar, fish sauce and sugar, shaking to dissolve the sugar. Add the carrots and seal the bag, pressing out the air. Let stand at room temperature for 4 hours or refrigerate overnight.

MAKE THE MARINATED-TOFU SALAD: Preheat a grill pan. Brush the block of tofu with the vegetable oil and grill over high heat, turning once, until lightly charred, about 5 minutes. In a shallow dish, combine the soy sauce with the lemon juice and orange juice. Add the tofu and let stand at room temperature for 1 hour or cover and refrigerate overnight.

In a large bowl, whisk the mayonnaise (or yogurt) with the rice vinegar and sugar (I also added in a teaspoon or two of the tofu marinade). Season with salt and pepper. Add the mesclun to the dressing and toss until coated. Transfer the greens to plates. Drain the pickled cabbage and carrot kimchi and arrange them next to the greens. Remove the tofu from the marinade and slice it 1/2 inch thick. Arrange the tofu slices over the greens and serve right away.


The carrots held up the best after two days given their sturdy structure...and they were really really good. I've never made pickled vegetables before so I was extremely happy when these turned out to be pretty darn good.

The "cabbage" aka radicchio - wasn't bad. Clearly cabbage would have been better but it was an OK substitute if you are too lazy to go to the store and for some odd reason have radicchio on hand.

And the tofu - well, what can I say. Looking beyond the salt - the flavor was really nice. I loved the citrus with the soy sauce.

I'll make this again, but I'll actually make a concerted effort to eat it at its peak :)