This delicate silken tofu salad is a perfect vegan side dish and cold appetizer on the hot summer days. The dressing and toppings add amazing flavours, and it takes only 10 minutes to make.
This is a simplified version of the Shanghai-style tofu salad that people often make with century eggs on it. My vegan tofu salad uses fewer ingredients yet still captures the essence of the dish, and the silky, smooth tofu easily takes on the flavours of the dressing and the toppings. No cooking is required for this cold appetizer. I first shared this recipe in my Vegan Chinese Cookbook. Watch the video below for how easy it is to make this silken tofu salad.
Silken Tofu Salad Ingredients
- Silken Tofu
- Preserved Mustard Stem (Zha Cai): These preserved mustard stems are julienned and sold in vacuum-sealed packages. The most popular brand and the one I use in this recipe is labeled Yuquan Zhacai. They add great flavours to the tofu salad.
- Scallions
- Cilantro
- Chinese Light Soy Sauce
- Sesame Oil
- Black Vinegar: This is the most frequently used vinegar in Chinese cooking and gives many dishes their distinctive flavour. There are a variety of regional vinegars all made from a combination of grains, such as rice, wheat, sorghum, barley, and peas, so black vinegar is not gluten-free. The most well-known kinds are Chinkiang vinegar and Shanxi superior mature (or extra-aged) vinegar.
Choosing The Right Tofu
In Asian grocery stories, you can usually find tofu of different level of firmness. You will see words such as these, in the order from the firmest to the softest: extra firm, firm, medium, soft, silken. For this recipe, we will use the silken tofu that comes in a block shape.
Additionally, I prefer to buy organic and sprouted tofu whenever possible. And note that, all organic products are by definition non-GMO.
If you would like to make your own sprouted organic tofu, it’s completely doable and fairly easy. Use this homemade tofu recipe, and be sure to very gently press the tofu to form a block of the softest tofu for this silken tofu salad. You can also make firmer tofu for other dishes, such as this vegan mapo tofu.
Vegan Silken Tofu Salad
Tofu is at the centre of the vegan dinner table. You can find this silken tofu salad recipe in chapter 2, “Salads and Cold Appetizers”, of my Vegan Chinese Cookbook.
More Plant-Based Favourites from Vegan Chinese Cookbook:
- Vegan Mapo Tofu
- Chinese Eggplant Recipe: Red-Braised Eggplants
- Chinese Scallion Pancakes (葱油饼)
- Mung Bean Cakes (Gluten-Free, Vegan, 3 Ingredients)
- Vegan Fried Rice with Cumin and Potato
- Eight Treasure Congee (八宝粥)
- Soy Pulp Cornmeal Buns (豆渣窝头)
- Peking Duck Pancakes
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Silken Tofu Salad
Ingredients
- 1 (16oz /454g) block silken tofu
- 3 tablespoons chopped preserved mustard stem (zha cai)
- 2 tablespoons sliced scallions
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
- 2 tablespoons Chinese light soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- 2 teaspoons black vinegar
Instructions
- Drain the tofu and place it upside down on a deep plate.
- Cut the tofu in half lengthwise, then cut it crosswise into 1/2-inch-think slices, but leave the slices in the shape of the original block of tofu.
- Sprinkle the chopped preserved mustard stem, scallion, and cilantro on top of the tofu.
- In a small bowl, mix the soy sauce, sesame oil, and vinegar together.
- Pour the dressing over the tofu. Serve immediately.
Video
Notes
- Make sure the tofu is well drained, so that the dressing is not diluted.
- These preserved mustard stems are julienned and sold in vacuum-sealed packages. The most popular brand and the one I use in the recipe is labeled Yuquan Zhacai. They add great flavours to the tofu salad.
Nutrition
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