Asian slaw with peanut tofu

Asian slaw with peanut tofu

asian slaw with peanut tofu

How have you guys been? If you celebrate Easter, I hope you’re not feeling too overstuffed or sluggish? Gathering with family and friends over a meal is awesome, but if you’re not careful all this grazing can lead to a bit of a binge. Or maybe it’s just me and my utter lack of self-control…We’ve had a quiet weekend, filled with a bit of work and a bit of leisure.

Yesterday, I took a whole day off ‘cos I was feeling a little bit burned out and needed some ‘me’ time. I planned swaying in my hammock, coffee in one hand, book or magazine in the other and a cat on my lap.

Unfortunately, the weather had other plans and as it was really quite cloudy and windy. I ended up having a coffee with a friend in town, having a chilled lunch in our favourite taverna, doing some yoga (I managed to get into a nice routine with it for about two weeks now) and general pottering around. No cooking, styling, photo taking, photo editing, Instagram scrolling and REDUCED thinking about food (I don’t think I am able to switch that off completely…;) ) so I can pronounce my day off a success.

I have trouble taking time off…I love doing what I do and sometimes I get a tad obsessed and I find it hard to take a break. Duncan, bless him, is always on my back about that. He is my voice of reason (although that’s kinda ironic as he is the silliest person I know…;) ) and keeps on telling me to stop working.

Today’s recipe is a simple Asian-inspired salad with lots of fresh veg, some vermicelli noodles and peanut-crusted baked tofu. It’s delicious and very filling yet still quite light. Ideal for this early spring weather, which seems to be poking its head out now and again. It makes an awesome work or beach lunch too and I plan to test it in the latter context hopefully rather soon! 🙂

asian slaw baked tofu before marinating

asian slaw peanut tofu ingredients

asian slaw peanut tofu close up

serves
2-3
PREP
20 min
COOKING
25 min
serves
2-3
PREPARATION
20 min
COOKING
25 min
INGREDIENTS
PEANUT TOFU

SALAD INGREDIENTS

  • 100 g / 3.5 oz vermicelli rice noodles
  • 1 broccoli stalk, cut into ribbons (with a speed peeler)
  • 1 spring onion, sliced finely
  • 1 carrot, cut into ribbons
  • small wedge of red cabbage, shredded finely (with a mandolin)
  • 6 leaves of Chinese cabbage, sliced finely
  • 10 radishes, sliced finely
  • small English cucumber, julienned (with a julienne peeler)
  • ¼ cup radish sprouts
  • pickled ginger, cut into thin strips**
  • 2 tbsp fresh coriander, chopped

DRESSING

METHOD
  1. Heat up the oven to 200° C / 390° F and line a baking tray with a piece of baking paper.
  2. Cut pressed tofu into two 50% thinner blocks. Then cut each block into 8 pieces, you should end up with 16 pieces total.
  3. Place tofu on the prepared baking tray. Spoon a few drops of soy sauce (or tamari) over each piece, spreading it with the back of the spoon. If the tofu has been pressed well, the pieces should absorb this seasoning immediately. Do not overdo it as the marinade also contains soy sauce.
  4. Bake tofu in a pre-heated oven for 10 minutes, then flip to the other side for another 10 minutes. At this stage, you simply want it a bit dried out (but not too much) to give it a bit of bite.
  5. Prepare vermicelli noodles according to the instructions on the packet, mine required plunging them into boiled water for 2 minutes and refreshing them under a cold tap. Cool them down completely.
  6. Prepare the marinade by mixing the remaining ingredients in a bowl with about 2 tbsp of water. Whisk well until you get a thick marinade.
  7. Once the tofu has dried let it cool a bit and then coat in the marinade mixture.
  8. Change the oven to grill / broiler function. Return marinated tofu to the baking tray. Grill / broil for about 3-4 minutes on each side, until lightly caramelised. FYI: I’ve tried sauteeing the tofu on a hot skillet after marinating but this technique did not work as well as grilling as the marinade fell off the tofu and stuck to the pan a bit too much.
  9. Whisk the dressing ingredients together. Toss the vegetables and cooled noodles together in a large bowl. Mix in the dressing. Serve with baked tofu on top.

NOTES
*To press the tofu, you either need a special tofu press or you can do it with a bunch of kitchen towels and a heavy weight. Wrap your tofu in a few layer of paper towel, place it on a plate and weigh it down with something heavy (like a heavy chopping block, for example). Once the paper towel becomes wet, change it for a new one. Repeat a few times until the paper towel stays almost dry. Pressed tofu is tastier as it absorbs flavours better.

**You could also add 1-2 tsp of fresh finely grated ginger to the dressing instead.

If you have a peanut allergy, swap peanuts and peanut butter for cashew or almond butter and roasted cashews or almonds.

SHARE
NUTRITIONAL INFO
calories
372
19%
sugars
13 g
15%
fats
13 g
19%
saturates
2 g
12%
proteins
16 g
32%
carbs
50 g
19%
*per serving
How would you rate this recipe?
This is a test string

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.

5.0
3 reviews, 7 comments
REVIEWS & QUESTIONS
Alison Rowe:
This recipe was delicious!! Such a good combination of veggies in the salad and a nice light dressing with yummy peanut sauces tofu on top. Fantastic combo! It is going into the “favourites” file!!
    Ania
    Ania:
    Thanks so much, Alison. I am so happy to hear that you enjoyed this dish so much and that it earned the position in your favs file. Thanks for taking the time to let me know that it was such a success. x Ania
Jill:
This slaw and dressing recipe are fantastic! I added a few roasted cashews for some crunch since I didn't have a chance to make the tofu (but it's on my list!). While I subscribe to emails from a few food bloggers, your emails are the ones I always open. Thanks, Ania, for the love, care and creativity you bring to us.
    Ania
    Ania:
    Aw thanks so much for your kind words, Jill! They have really put a smile on my face despite a fairly meh day. x Ania
Magalie Buda:
The bright side of this whole corona madness is that I have finally the time to try lots of your recipes and I am loving them!! Tried this recipe today and really enjoyed it. Excited to try another one tomorrow!! thanks for your great cooking inspiration, Ania!!
    Ania
    Ania:
    Aw, thanks so much for your kind words :) I'm so happy to hear that you are enjoying my recipes and that they are making your experience of lockdown a little bit more bearable. Stay safe. x Ania
Anna:
Looks amazing! Your tofu bahn mi sandwich was the best thing ever and it made me love tofu. Can't wait to try this one.
    Ania
    Ania:
    Thanks so much, Anna! I'm so pleased to hear that I made you a tofu convert ;) x Ania
Kim | Unrefined RD:
That tofu looks on point, Ania! I am so excited to try it this way :)
    Ania
    Ania:
    Thanks so much, Kim :) Ania
DON'T MISS A SINGLE RECIPE
Join our mailing list and we we will let you know when we publish a new recipe. You'll receive our DELIGHTFUL DESSERTS E-BOOK as a thank you for supporting us.