tofu salad with garlicy spicy mustard rice vinegar sauce

I was excited by the idea of this recipe when I saw a tofu salad at my local Whole Foods. It was in the salad bar, sold by weight. Helpfully, they listed all the ingredients that they used, though not the quantities or directions (that must be a trade secret.) In particular, their ingredient list called for rice syrup, which was something new to me.

How is it that I’d never heard of this, what with me being such a rice-lover? I brought home a jar of rice syrup immediately, to further my culinary/gustatory education. Rice syrup has a nutty taste. It’s lightly sweet, too. Both of these tastes were noticeable in this final dish.

So here’s my go at the WF tofu salad. It is very simple to make and you will not be disappointed with the end result.

tofu salad with sweet -n- spicy ginger mustard rice vinegar sauce

for the tofu:

300gr firm tofu, cut into bite-sized triangles, pat-dried
1 tbsp canola oil
salt (optional)

for the sweet -n- spicy ginger mustard rice vinegar sauce:

1 tsp stone ground mustard
3 tsp rice syrup (AKA, rice nectar)
4 tbsp rice vinegar
3 tbsp light shoyu (AKA: soy sauce)
½ tsp grated fresh ginger
Crushed red pepper to taste
1 clove garlic pressed
1½ tbsp toasted sesame oil

for garnish:

1 scallion thinly sliced
Black sesame seeds

Place canola oil on a non-stick pan over medium-high heat. Lay tofu triangles gently in pan, sprinkle with a bit of salt and pan fry them for a couple of minutes on each side to slightly brown. Remove from heat and arrange them cutely on a serving dish. Be careful not to burn your fingers.

Meanwhile prepare dressing by mixing all the sauce ingredients together. Adjust flavors if necessary. It should be a bit tangy, toasty, salty, sweet, garlicky and with a little kick from the pepper flakes.

Pour sauce over warm tofu and sprinkle with scallions and black sesame seeds. Serve as a snack or a side dish. This dish is vegan, and loaded with wonderful flavors and lots of protein. Yumm!