Warm Thai Salad with Crispy Tofu

After watching a marathon of "Take Home Chef" while cleaning and folding laundry the other day, I dreamed up this recipe. I wrote it down about a week ago and just tried it tonight. IT WAS DELICIOUS! It is very similar to the flavors in the Thai Vegi Wraps so if you liked those you will LOVE this!

Warm Thai Salad with Crispy Tofu

(Sorry, I had to take this picture with my cell phone)

2 Tbsp peanut oil
1 package super firm tofu, cubed - prepared according to instructions in THIS post
1-2 red pepper, julienned
*2 green papaya and or an apple or two, julienned
1/4 red onion, thinly sliced
1 cucumber, julienned
2 carrots, julienned
1 small bunch kale (flat leaf works best), cut into thin ribbons
1/2 head cabbage, thinly sliced
1/4 bunch of cilantro, chopped
1/2 cup roasted peanuts, coarsely chopped

You can use any Thai peanut vinaigrette that you like OR just use the dressing recipe from our Thai Veggie Wraps post.

1. Prepare all vegetables into a large serving bowl, toss and refrigerate.
2. Warm dressing or let it sit out at room temperature.
3. Heat peanut oil over high heat. Once peanut oil is really good and hot toss in prepared tofu cubes and fry until they are golden brown and just crispy. Place on paper towels to absorb excess oil and then toss into salad.
4. Pour dressing over salad and toss to coat. If salad is not going to be finished in one meal, do not add dressing, just pour it over individual servings.

This salad is great served cold in the summer months as well. This recipe makes enough for 4 good sized portions and it doesn't save very well. It might keep for one day in a cold fridge, so if you need to, half this and finish it in one serving.

*Papayas can be expensive and can't be found all year round so use them in this recipe when they are in season or just when you feel like it but an apple will do just fine :)

Julienning made easy:

I LOVE LOVE LOVE this combination of tools. It makes peeling, thinly slicing and julienning so fast and easy! I had a Japanese mandolin that I bought as a birthday present for myself. It didn't even work and it wasn't cheap! I sent that baby right back and started looking for different options. Then I ran into THIS on the Bed, Bath and Beyond online store, went up and bought it with one of the million 20% off coupons and it is probably the BEST $12 I've ever invested in my kitchen.

Make sure to watch the little clip of the infomercial they have on the website. It really does all of that!!!

Oriental Orzo Salad {Vegan}

I had lunch with a friend last year and she served the YUMMIEST pasta salad EVER! I could not rest until I had the recipe and lucky for me (now that I'm not so into the meat eating) it is easily adaptable.

Oriental Orzo Salad

1 lb bag/box of Orzo, cooked according to package directions
1 package of super firm cubed tofu*, marinated in teriyaki sauce**
1 small can sliced water chestnuts, drained
3 green onions, chopped
1 red bell pepper, diced
Toasted almonds
Sugar snap peas (in a pinch I am happy to use regular old frozen peas - about a cup)

Combine the above ingredients in large serving bowl.

*If you're not sure about how to correctly prepare tofu. Please go HERE.

Dressing

½ cup olive oil
2 Tbsp. soy sauce
3 Tbsp. rice wine vinegar (you can use regular white vinegar in a pinch if you need to)
2 Tbsp. Hoisin sauce

(you can cut out some of the fat but cutting the olive oil in half and then adding an extra Tbsp or two of the other ingredients)

Combine well and pour over salad. Mix well until everything is coated and chill.

**My homemade Teriyaki Marinade:
1 cup soy sauce
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar - packed
1 1/4 cup water
4 cloves minced garlic
a few shakes of red pepper flakes (optional)
-and when I'm feeling fancy I'll throw in some canned pineapple with the juice.

Combine everything and whisk until sugar is dissolved (heating it can speed up this process).

Tofu

Tofu. It can be a little taboo can't it? I know a lot of people who eat tofu because it's a healthy choice, but they don't really like it. Most of the people I know though, hate tofu and refuse to eat it. I mostly think this is just because people don't know how to prepare it correctly. I hope this post will give you the tools you need to create and enjoy delicious tofu meals.

What is tofu?
Very basically, tofu is coagulated soy milk, which is just soy beans soaked in water, ground up and mixed with water. Once the soy milk is turned into curds it can be pressed into blocks. It is very high in protein and calcium so it is a good way to supplement the vegetarian diet.

What kind of Tofu should I use?
There are mainly just two different kinds of tofu: "silken" or "soft" and "regular". Both kinds come in soft, firm and super firm. "Silken" tofu is used mainly for dressings, sauces and other things that have a thick creamy texture. "Regular" tofu is what you would use to cook with as a protein (meat substitute). Use a softer "regular" tofu for "scrambles" or mock cheese fillings, and a firmer "regular" tofu for stir fry's, soups and things like that.

Where do I buy tofu?
I mostly use "regular" tofu and it also happens to be the easiest to find as well. In my grocery stores here in the East (I assume it's the same everywhere else) I get my tofu in a plastic container of water in the produce section. It looks like this (see below). There are MANY brands and I can't say I have a favorite. You can also find the silken tofu in the Asian aisle of many grocery stores as well.

Now that I have it at home...what do I do with it?
First things first. Once you get tofu home you should write the expiration date on the side of the plastic container with a sharpie. Then cut the seal off the top of the container and discard. Drain the water from the tofu and then refill it with fresh water. For the best flavor you should change the water everyday until you use it (I only sometimes do this. It does keep it fresh, but sometimes I forget and it's no big deal. My tofu still tastes great).

The night before* you are going to use the tofu you need to prepare it. Take the tofu out of the container, draining all the water. I usually let it sit in a colander for like 5-10 minutes just to make sure it's drained really good. Now you can cut your tofu to your desired sized pieces. I like to cut them into 1" by 2" rectangles about 1/4 in thick for stir fries and curries and I just buy the pre-cubed super firm tofu for soups and salads. Then take a large cookie sheet and cover it in paper towels.

Lay your tofu pieces on the paper towel lined cookie sheet and then cover the tofu in more paper towels. Now place another cookie sheet on top of that and weigh it down with some heavy cans or a heavy pan.

(I wanted to use this opportunity to showcase a few great cookbooks - and Ani's Raw Food Essentials is upside down - sorry Ani)

Place all of this in the fridge and let it sit over night.

(Yes my grocery store just had a great sale on Almond Milk)

*If you are in a time sensitive situation just let it sit in the fridge at least 20-30 minutes. It's no big deal. I do this all the time.

OK...now what?
Now your tofu is ready to absorb whatever flavor you prefer. Marinate your tofu in your favorite marinades, teriyaki sauces, herbs and spices...you can even batter, bread and fry your tofu. Stir fry it until browned, bake it, boil it or just toss your marinated tofu in a cold salad - whatever suites you. BTW, Tofu is pre-cooked so you don't have to worry about cooking it all the way through like you would chicken or pork. This also means Tofu travels really well.

(here I have my tofu marinating in my simple but delicious Teriyaki sauce...don't worry recipe to come!)

Overwhelmed? Don't be!
These preparation practices are for 100% best results. They are not 100% necessary for your tofu to taste good. If you have really sensitive taste buds or you think you absolutely hate tofu then I would recommend doing all of the above, but if you're just not that picky and you just don't have that much time, then don't worry about it. Do what you can, do what you want but I would say at the very least press your tofu between paper towels for at least 20 minutes before using. You can do this very easily while getting marinades ready, chopping vegetables or let's face it, cleaning up your kitchen and doing your dishes or setting the table.

Does this help? Do you have any tips about tofu you'd like to share? Do you have more questions? Alright, now go get some tofu from the store and I'll have a tofu recipe for you on Monday (it's a salad so put super firm, cubed, regular tofu on your list).

*Dear Beloved Readers of The Vegetarian Tree,

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LOVE - Amy & Ronda*