Silken Tofu Salad with Black Sesame Sauce

Name: Silken Tofu Salad with Black Sesame Sauce
Total time: 5 min
Ingredients: 1 block silken tofu; half long cucumber (around 1/2 cup) (diced); 3-4 mini sweet peppers (diced (optional)); 2 tablespoons black sesame paste; 2 tablespoons vinegar; 2 tablespoons soy sauce; 1-2 teaspoons your favorite chili oil; 1-2 teaspoons or more water; Cilantro (chopped); Spring onion (sliced); More chili oil

Jun 21, 2024

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by

Hellen

in Recipes, Salads, Tofu

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An easy vegan salad perfect as a side dish during hot weather. This salad comes together in 5 minutes with minimal effort.

close shot of plated tofu salad with black sesame sauce

Making this tofu salad is as easy as whisking together the black sesame sauce and arranging everything on a plate. Tofu black sesame salad is like a fusion between Sichuan-style cold dishes with sesame sauce and cold silken tofu salad. The creamy silken tofu is the yin to the yang of the spicy black sesame sauce.

The high water content of silken tofu and cucumber makes this a cooling dish that is perfect for summer. Serve with rice for an easy, light meal.

In Chinese households, silken tofu is sometimes served as an easy cold side dish that is often topped with chopped century egg and sometimes pork floss. If you eat eggs, go ahead and add a chopped boiled egg or a chopped century egg to this tofu salad for extra protein. I think the bouncy texture of century egg goes especially well with soft cold tofu.

This version of silken tofu salad with black sesame sauce is vegan and has lots of fresh veggies. It’s like a cross between a spoon salad and a savoury tofu pudding.

Low effort scale: 3

Some chopping involved, but otherwise, pretty low effort!

Ingredients for this Tofu salad with black sesame sauce

Silken tofu: Silken, soft tofu that comes in a box. This kind of tofu is so soft it has the texture of tofu pudding. Please don’t sub other kinds of tofu.
Cucumber: Diced cucumber gives a refreshing crunch and contrasts with the soft tofu and creamy sauce.
Peppers: Diced sweet peppers are optional. They add color and variety to the salad.
Black sesame paste: The essential ingredient! You can substitute roasted sesame paste or tahini instead, but the effect won’t be as striking.
Vinegar: I use white vinegar, but other vinegars will work also as long as the vinegar is not too heavily flavored (no balsamic please). Substitutions: rice vinegar, apple cider vinegar.
Soy sauce: My go-to soy sauce is Kung-Fu brand soy sauce. It is made in Taiwan and unlike some other soy sauce brands is naturally brewed without additives and preservatives. I use an all-purpose soy sauce (not distinguishing between dark and light soy sauce), but if you have both, light soy sauce will work better in this recipe.
Chili oil: Use your favorite brand of chili oil or chili crisp. I like using chili oil with a good amount of crispy bits and a bit of má (tingliness – from Sichuan pepper).

What is black sesame paste?

Black sesame paste is a common ingredient in East Asia. It is made from roasted and unhulled black sesame seeds.

Is black sesame paste the same as tahini?

Asian sesame paste is not the same as tahini. While tahini is made from hulled, unroasted sesame seeds, Asian sesame paste – black or white – uses unhulled, roasted sesame seeds.

Roasted sesame paste has a lovely nutty, toasty flavor. On top of that, black sesame paste has its own subtle but distinguishable flavor.

How can I use black sesame paste?

Black sesame paste is traditionally used in all sorts of sweet and savoury applications. On the sweet side for instance, black sesame paste can be used as a filling for tangyuan or mochi, for baked pastries, or in dessert soup. On the savoury side, sesame paste is often used in sauces for noodles or cold dishes.

Serving and Leftovers

Tofu black sesame salad should be eaten and served with spoons so you can get some soft tofu, crunchy cucumber, and spicy sesame sauce in each bite.

Tofu salad with black sesame sauce should be served and eaten immediately. Unfortunately, tofu salad with black sesame sauce does not make for good leftovers. Because of its high water-content, silken tofu will leak moisture over time. The same applies to cucumber.

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