Thai Salad with Fried Tofu

⏳ Time

45 minutes

🥕 Ingredients

🍽️ Servings

Description

The essence of this salad lies in the combination of crispy fried tofu and thinly sliced carrots, cucumbers, and red onion, all mixed with a spicy Asian-style dressing featuring ginger, fish sauce, sesame oil, chili, and a generous handful of mint and cilantro. This is a perfect example where the tofu doesn't pretend to be anything else; it stands out as a pure protein product with a luxurious silky texture. However, the real star of the salad is the dressing—transforming a handful of ordinary garden vegetables into an intriguing and exotic dish for the palate. The level of spiciness from the fiery chili and the saltiness from the fish sauce is left to the chef's discretion.

Ingredients

Tofu - 7.1 oz
Carrot - 1 piece
Cucumbers - 1 piece
Fresh Mint - 1 bunch
Cilantro - 1 bunch
Spanish onions - 1 head
Scallions - 2 pieces
Marinated cherries - 4.2 oz
Roasted Peanuts - 1.8 oz
Vegetable Oil - 1 qt
Corn Starch - 2 spoons
Fish Oil - 2 spoons
Lime - 1 piece
Rice Vinegar for Sushi - 3 spoons
Raw cane sugar - 2 spoons
Garlic - 1 clove
Mild Chili Spice - 1 piece

Step by Step guide

Step 1

For the dressing, mix fish sauce, lime juice, and rice vinegar in a small bowl. Stir in the cane sugar until it is completely dissolved.

Step 2

Add finely chopped garlic and 1 minced chili pepper. The dressing should be spicy-sweet, fresh, and have a rich flavor from the fish sauce.

Step 3

Peel the carrot and cut it into thin matchsticks.

Step 4

Peel the cucumber and remove the seeds, then slice it diagonally into thin pieces.

Step 5

Coarsely chop the mint and cilantro leaves.

Step 6

Slice the red onion into thin feathers and chop the green onion finely.

Step 7

Cut the cherry tomatoes in half.

Step 8

Chop the peanuts coarsely.

Step 9

Cut the tofu into 2 cm cubes and coat them in cornstarch.

Step 10

Heat the frying oil, carefully add the tofu pieces so they remain intact, allow them to brown for about a minute, then remove with a slotted spoon and transfer to paper towels to absorb excess oil.