This is what I was preparing in the previous “mystery post.” Several of you correctly guessed that I was pressing tofu. I press tofu to try to get as much of the liquid out as possible, making it more spongy and less watery. I have been loving tofu lately.
I found the recipe for this salad in the Moosewood Restaurant Daily Special, a fabulous collections of soups and salads. In the book, the recipe is called “Broiled Tofu and Sugar Snap Peas.” I used butter lettuce, edamame and sesame seeds. However, I followed her directions for the dressing exactly and it was fragrant and wonderful. The dressing is made from ginger, Chinese chili paste (I used chili oil), soy sauce, dark sesame oil, miso, mirin or rice wine, rice vinegar, ground walnuts and a little bit of water. I marinaded the firm tofu in the dressing for about an hour and then broiled the tofu triangles in the oven. The crunchy lettuce perfectly complemented the soft (but not mushy) tofu.
Try toufu stir fried till crispy edges, delish. Today, I went to Soo & Son, the Korean market on 441 and got some kimchi toufu. It had a different texture to Chinese toufu, more creamy and fermented. I’m in love with it, very addictive, you keep wanting to eat more, yum.