Celery Sesame And Tofu Salad Recipes

EASY TOFU AND CELERY SALAD

Steps:

• Add the tofu and celery to a big bowl. Add the light soy sauce, Chinkiang vinegar, and sugar.
• Heat oil in a small saucepan over medium heat until hot. Add the garlic, ginger and ground Sichuan peppercorns. Stir a few times to release the fragrance. Immediately pour everything over the tofu and celery. Stir to mix well. Pour in the chili oil (or sesame oil) and mix again. You can either store the salad in the fridge for up to a day or serve immediately as an appetizer. The salad will taste better if you let the tofu marinate in the dressing for at least 30 minutes.

SICHUAN CELERY AND TOFU SALAD

Steps:

• Heat oil in a small saucepan over medium-high heat; when it simmers, add ginger, cinnamon, cloves, coriander, cumin, star anise, Sichuan peppercorns and chili flakes. Remove from heat and let sit until cool, at least 1 hour and preferably 2 or 3. Strain oil into a bowl or jar and discard spices.
• Put a pot of salted water over high heat and bring to a boil. Add celery and blanch for about a minute; drain in colander and run under cold water to stop the cooking process.
• Layer celery and tofu on serving plates, drizzle with chili oil and sprinkle with salt.

SESAME TOFU SALAD

Steps:

• To make the dressing: Put the soy sauce, vinegar, ginger, brown sugar, sesame oil, red pepper flakes, garlic and 2/3 cup of the olive oil into a blender. Blend until completely emulsified. Taste the dressing and adjust to your taste, adding more vinegar or sugar as needed. Pour half of the dressing into a jar and refrigerate for the salad.
• Put the tofu cubes into a bowl and pour over the remaining dressing. Cover and refrigerate for at least an hour.
• Remove the tofu from the dressing and pat dry. Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil in a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Cook the tofu on all sides until nicely browned and crisp, about 10 minutes. Toss in the sesame seeds and cook for another minute. Remove to a paper towel-lined plate.
• To assemble the salad, put the mixed greens, halved tomatoes and sliced onion in a large bowl. Pour on half the remaining dressing, reserving the rest for later use. Toss to coat. Arrange the tofu and mandarin oranges all over the greens. Serve immediately.

CELERY, SESAME, AND TOFU SALAD

Steps:

• Rinse tofu and pat dry, then cut crosswise into 1/4-inch-thick slices.
• Arrange slices in 1 layer on a triple thickness of paper towels, then cover with another triple thickness of paper towels.
• Put a small baking sheet on top of tofu and weight with 3 (1-lb) cans (this removes excess moisture), 10 minutes.
• Meanwhile, whisk together oils, vinegar, soy sauce, and pepper in a large bowl.
• Trim celery, then peel with a vegetable peeler and slice very thin diagonally. Cut tofu crosswise into 1/4-inch-wide sticks and transfer to a bowl.
• Toss gently with dressing, celery, sesame seeds, and salt to taste.

TOFU-CELERY STIR-FRY

Steps:

• Stir together tamari, sesame oil, chili-garlic sauce, and 1 tablespoon water. In a large nonstick skillet, heat vegetable oil over high until just smoking. Add tofu and cook, turning once, until golden, 4 minutes total. Transfer to a plate.
• Add celery (and additional oil, if needed) to skillet and cook, stirring often, until crisp-tender, 1 to 2 minutes. Stir in ginger, scallion, and cilantro; cook 30 seconds. Return tofu and add tamari mixture to skillet. Toss to coat; serve.

TOFU AND HERB SALAD WITH SESAME

Steps:

• Make the sauce: In a small bowl, put ground sesame seeds, lime, ginger, chile, sesame oil and soy sauce. Add yogurt and stir to combine. Season with salt and pepper. (If necessary, thin with a little water.) Set aside.
• On individual plates, arrange watercress, parsley and cilantro, then the mixed herbs. Scatter cucumber slices here and there. Top with the tofu cubes. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
• Drizzle sauce over each plate, and garnish with sesame seeds, if desired.