Oriental tofu salad

Here’s a popular recipe around the house. For the kiddos/spice-sensitive, we keep the dressing and tofu separate.

Oriental tofu salad — www.wt8p.com
Salad:
1 head lettuce
6 green onions
1 carrot, shredded
1/2 C peas
2 T sesame seeds
1/2 C slivered almonds
1 block of tofu (or you could use 1 C of cooked, diced chicken)

Dressing:
2 T soy sauce (I recommend Yamasa brand)
2 T rice vinegar
1 T sesame oil
1 T vegetable oil
1 T fresh ginger, minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 t sugar
1/4 t pepper
Garnish:
Chow mein noodles

• Squeeze the water out of the tofu. Take the block, put between two plates, and put a heavy book on top. This will take about 5-10 minutes.
• Combine dressing ingredients and let stand 1/2 hour at room temperature to blend flavors.
• Toast the sesame seeds and almonds. (optional)
• Heat 2 T oil in a skillet. Cut the tofu into cubes (1/2″ works, but experiment) and brown on all sides. (As I type this, I wonder if it’d be better to slice it into slabs and cook it that way.)
• Combine tofu and dressing. Let stand for a few minutes to absorb flavor.
• Toss all the salad ingredients together.
• Serve, topped with chow mein noodles.