Marinated tofu salad with ginger, soy and mirin dressing

My husband calls tofu “a non-food”. His explanation: that “it doesn’t taste of anything”. Which is actually quite true. My take on tofu is because it has no strong taste, it can (and does) absorb flavours really well, so marinating tofu gives you the protein-packed goodness of it, with all the wonderful flavours of your marinade.

This is an asian-inspired salad that is light from the dressing, yet filling and nutritious. Marinating the tofu does take time but once it’s ready you can put this salad together very quickly.

Ingredients makes 2 servings 

1. 2 squares firm tofu
2. Edamame – squeeze out the edamame from their pods – I buy frozen edamame still in the pod from my supermarket, they’re super easy to use – just take the amount you want, cover with hot water for a few minutes and they’re ready !
3. Mixed salad greens
4. 1/2 small Japanese cucumber, sliced
5. handful cherry tomatoes, halved
6. 1/2 avocado
7. 3 tbls raw pine nuts, toasted
8. Dressing:
9. 1/2 thumb-sized piece of ginger – peel off the outer skin and grate finely
10. 8 tbls mirin
11. 8 tbls rice vinegar
12. 6 tbls neutral flavoured oil – I used rapeseed
13. 2-3 tbls soya sauce
14. 2 tsp sesame oil

Method

1. Mix all the dressing ingredients together and pour 3/4 of it into a ziplock bag
2. Pop the tofu in the bag with the dressing and let marinate for at least a few hours, preferably overnight
3. When ready, heat up your skillet on high heat and fry the tofu
4. While the tofu is cooking prepare the rest of the salad
5. Dress the salad lightly with the remaining salad dressing
6. Pile salad on to a salad bowl/plate and top with sliced tofu