Creamy carrot, cucumber, corn and tofu salad
Creamy carrot, cucumber, corn and tofu salad
This week’s salad recipe was conceived due to a curiosity. I like to know all the salads of the world, but there are some that I’ve not tried, due to the fact they are meat-centric. Kani salad is one of them. A popular dish at Japanese American restaurants, kani salad features shredded imitation crab and crunchy vegetables in a citrusy mayonnaise-based dressing.
After reading about kani salad, I set out to imagine my vegetarian version. Like the original, I sought maximum texture and simple creaminess with a tangy edge. Mine has no imitation crab of course, but I’ve used pan-fried extra firm tofu.
I bring the taste of the ocean later with a liberal sprinkling of furikake (a vegan one); if you don’t have furikake, you could sprinkle over crushed nori snack sheets for a salty-sea finish.
Serves 4
Ingredients
- extra virgin olive oil
- 1 x 14 - 16 ounce package extra firm tofu, drained, patted dry, sliced into 1cm / ½-inch pieces
- sea salt and white/black pepper
- 2 medium carrots (about 220g / 8 ounces), peeled and julienned
- 2 Persian / Lebanese cucumbers (about 220g/ 8 ounces), trimmed, seeds scooped out, julienned
- 1 cup (150g) frozen (or fresh) corn kernels, thawed and run under hot water, drained
- 2 tablespoon toasted white sesame seeds
- 2 scallions, thinly sliced
- vegan furikake, toasted sesame seeds, or crushed nori snack sheets, for topping
Creamy Soy-Ponzu dressing
- 1/3 cup (80g) kewpie or other mayonnaise (vegan mayonnaise is great too)
- 1 garlic clove, finely grated (I use Microplane)
- 1 tablespoon ponzu* (see head note)
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
Heat a large skillet / frying pan on medium high heat for 2 to 3 minutes. When hot, drizzle with olive oil and add the tofu slices (working in batches, if needed), season well with salt and pepper and cook until golden and crispy, 3 to 4 minutes. Drizzle the top with more olive oil, and flip over and cook the other side until golden, another 3 to 4 minutes. Repeat until all the tofu is cooked. When the tofu is cool, slice into thin strips.
In a large bowl, add the mayonnaise, garlic, ponzu, and soy sauce and whisk until well combined. To the dressing, add the carrot, cucumber, corn, tofu strips, sesame seeds and scallions. Toss well to coat. Taste and season with salt and pepper, as needed.
To serve, top with furikake, toasted sesame seeds, or crushed nori snack sheets.
