Tofu and Wakame Salad with Japanese Sesame Dressing

Tofu and Wakame Salad with Japanese Sesame Dressing

This thick Japanese style of dressing is my absolute favourite! I’m actually not a big fan of salad but I can eat lots of salad with this dressing. When preparing it, don’t be scared to cut the tofu on your palm! It’ll help you keep the shape of the tofu.

Recipes

Ingredients

• 1 packet of 300g (10.oz) silken tofu
• 200g (7oz) mixed salad leaves
• 2 tablespoons dried wakame
• 1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
• A pinch of salt

Sesame dressing

• 2 tablespoons white sesame
• 2 tablespoons onion, roughly chopped
• 2 tablespoons carrot, roughly chopped
• 1 small clove garlic, grated finely
• 1/2 cup neutral oil
• 2 tablespoons brown rice or rice vinegar
• 60ml (2fl oz) soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon unrefined sugar

Gluten-free option: Use tamari instead of soy sauce

Method

1. Leave the silken tofu on a plate or strainer for half an hour to drain naturally.

2. To prepare the sesame for the sesame dressing, toast the white sesame seeds in a dry frying pan on a medium heat until golden. Cool down and grind. Keep one teaspoon of sesame for wakame.

3. To make the dressing, place the rest of the sesame, chopped onion, carrot, grated garlic, oil, vinegar, soy sauce and sugar into a blender and blend well.

4. To prepare the wakame, place wakame in warm water until reconstituted (soft) and drain. If there are any stalks of wakame, remove it then cut the wakame into small pieces.

5. Heat the frying pan with sesame oil, place wakame in and fry. Add one teaspoon of roasted and ground sesame, and a pinch of salt. Then, set it aside.

6. To serve, place the salad mix in a bowl, then cut the tofu into small cubes on your palm and arrange them around the salad leaves. Arrange the wakame over the top, and then pour dressing over the salad.

Tip: You can keep this dressing for three months in most fridges.

See the picture below for instructions as to cutting the tofu on your palm. Silken tofu is quite fragile so if you cut it on a chopping board and try to move it, it will fall apart. Use this technique whenever you cut silken tofu so that it can keep its shape.

This recipe is from Cooking With Soy. Want to learn more healthy Japanese cooking? Grab my Cooking With Soy for real knowledge of Japanese cuisine and easy recipes using soy!

There are also more exciting recipes in  Japanese superfoods and my latest book Top 3 Japanese superfoods for natural weight loss.

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