Spinach and Tofu Salad

Name: Spinach and Tofu Salad
Total time: 45 min
Yield: 4 to 6 servings
Cuisine: japanese
Ingredients: 1/2 pound firm tofu; 1/4 cup soy sauce; 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil; 1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar; 1 tablespoon sake; 1 tablespoon brown sugar; 1 teaspoon grated ginger; Pinch of cayenne; 8 ounces medium spinach leaves; 2 tablespoons lime or lemon juice; 2 teaspoons brown sugar; 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil; 3 tablespoons vegetable oil; 1 tablespoon soy sauce; 2 tablespoons white or red miso; 1/2 teaspoon grated garlic (from about 2 to 3 cloves); 1 teaspoon grated ginger (from a peeled 1-inch piece); 1 cup chopped cucumber; 1 cup thinly sliced daikon radish; 1 cup frozen edamame, thawed; 1 teaspoon sesame seeds; 2 tablespoons pumpkin seeds; 2 tablespoons roasted peanuts; Pinch of kosher salt or flaky sea salt

By David Tanis

Total Time: 45 minutes
Rating: 5(629)
Comments: Read comments

Here’s a spinach salad that takes cues from Japan and is hearty enough to be a main course. Try to find crisp, medium curly-leaf spinach, which will hold up when dressed. (Baby spinach leaves will surely wilt.) Other sturdy greens — such as mizuna, curly endive or Napa cabbage — can stand in for spinach, or you can combine several kinds of greens.

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Ingredients

Yield:4 to 6 servings

For the Tofu and Marinade

½pound firm tofu
¼cup soy sauce
1tablespoon toasted sesame oil
1tablespoon rice wine vinegar
1tablespoon sake
1tablespoon brown sugar
1teaspoon grated ginger
Pinch of cayenne

For the Salad

8ounces medium spinach leaves
2tablespoons lime or lemon juice
2teaspoons brown sugar
1tablespoon toasted sesame oil
3tablespoons vegetable oil
1tablespoon soy sauce
2tablespoons white or red miso
½teaspoon grated garlic (from about 2 to 3 cloves)
1teaspoon grated ginger (from a peeled 1-inch piece)
1cup chopped cucumber
1cup thinly sliced daikon radish
1cup frozen edamame, thawed
1teaspoon sesame seeds
2tablespoons pumpkin seeds
2tablespoons roasted peanuts
Pinch of kosher salt or flaky sea salt

Ingredient Substitution Guide

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Preparation

Step 1
Heat oven to 375 degrees. Slice tofu into 1-inch-by-2-inch pieces about ¼-inch thick and place in a deep bowl or on a platter.
Step 2
Make the marinade: In a medium bowl, whisk together soy sauce, sesame oil, vinegar, sake, brown sugar, ginger and cayenne. Pour marinade over tofu slices to coat well. Leave in marinade for at least 15 minutes. (You may marinate the tofu up to 24 hours in advance.)
Step 3
While the tofu marinates, pick over spinach leaves and remove any tough stems. Swish the spinach in a deep bowl of cold water. Lift leaves from water into a colander. If you see any sand in the water, repeat up to 3 times, using fresh water each time. Drain well and dry spinach, then wrap in a kitchen towel and refrigerate until ready to use. (You may wash the spinach up to 24 hours in advance.)
Step 4
Make the dressing: In a small bowl, whisk together lime juice, brown sugar, sesame oil, vegetable oil, soy sauce, miso, garlic and ginger.
Step 5
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, and arrange the tofu pieces in a single layer. Spoon remaining marinade over tofu. Bake, uncovered, for 15 to 20 minutes, until slightly crisped. Remove and leave at room temperature.
Step 6
To make the salad, arrange spinach in a low, wide salad bowl or on a deep platter. Scatter cucumber, daikon and edamame over spinach, then sprinkle with sesame seeds, pumpkin seeds and peanuts. Tuck slices of tofu here and there.
Step 7
Sprinkle a pinch of salt over everything, then drizzle salad with dressing and serve.

Ratings

5 out of 5

629 user ratings

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Comments

Susan6 years ago

What??

Norma Akamatsu5 years ago

Norma: My Japanese mother used to slice tofu then lay on dish towel, cover tofu with another and place a wooden cutting board on top, weighted down by a heavy bowl. She explained to me the (in her case fried) tofu will cook better if some of the water is removed first.

Dave6 years ago

I was w/o miso so I substituted some tahini and went a little heavy on soy. No daikon and substituted sliced radishes which gave enough of a peppery taste. I found that flipping the tofu after 20 mins and coating with a small amount of reserved marinade then heating in the oven for an additional five minutes firmed up the tofu better. This recipe is a great winter weeknight dinner option.

Cheryl2 months ago

This was great, but even with only 1 tbsp of miso the dressing was still MUCH TOO SALTY. I recommend starting w 1/2 tbsp soy sauce and miso and then adding as needed. Although they warned against baby spinach, we did fine with a baby spinach/kale mix and dressing it at the table.

Rebecca R5 months ago

Great recipe. I did a second time adding vermicelli rice noodles and shredded carrots and liked it better.

Martha6 months ago

Pretty good. I used red miso and it definitely needed to be halved to achieve an acceptable salt content. Also, the second time, I fried the tofu in cornstarch and cayenne pepper, which was easier than waiting for it to marinate and bake. I didn't miss the marinade, since most of the same flavors were in the dressing, and it was nice having crispy tofu.

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