Eggless Tofu Salad. Very Yummy!
Many of you know that I have turned vegetarian with a bent towards vegan-ism. Hubby has really been enjoying a tofu egg-less salad at the local heath food shop. But at $7 a pound I figured I could make it as well. As an avid reader of Vegetarian Times, I recalled an amazing sounding Eggless recipe last summer from Pankaj Pradhan, chef-owner of the Red Lentil restaurant in Watertown, Mass . So, what the heck. I made it as my contribution to Meatless Monday. I have too tell you, this is really tasty but don’t expect it to taste like egg salad.
Eggless Salad Recipe
“Ingredients (with my comments):
- 2 16-oz. pkgs. extra-firm tofu, drained, and cut into 2 slabs (I buy organic sprouted tofu. Hate all that plastic it comes in.)
- 3 Tbs. low-sodium soy sauce (I use Tamari low sodium, wheat free sauce.)
- 2 Tbs. cider vinegar
- 2 Tbs. rice vinegar
- 2 Tbs. maple syrup (I use grade B since it isn’t as sweet.)
- 1 clove garlic, minced (1 tsp.)
- 1/2 cup finely chopped celery
- 1/2 cup soy mayonnaise (I didn’t have so I used regular.)
- 1/4 cup finely chopped red onion (I can’t eat. It gives me heartburn.)
- 1/4 cup chopped cashews
- 1/4 cup golden raisins
- 2 Tbs. chopped cilantro (Not a big fan of cilantro, so added dried celery leaves. Next time, I might add cilantro just to see what it taste like.)
- 1 Tbs. paprika
- 1 Tbs. ground turmeric
- 1 Tbs. ground cumin
- 1 Tbs. ground coriander
- 1 Tbs. lemon juice
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Press tofu slabs between two cutting boards 15 minutes to remove excess water. Pat dry, and place in baking dish.
2. Whisk together soy sauce, cider vinegar, rice vinegar, maple syrup, and garlic in bowl. Pour soy sauce mixture over tofu. Bake 15 minutes. Cool.
3. To assemble salad, crumble baked tofu in bowl. Stir in all remaining ingredients, and season with salt and pepper, if desired.”
Baked Tofu
Note, if you want a yummy way to eat tofu, stop at the baking direction. The tofu smelled so good. Further note, this makes A LOT of salad. I could have easily cut this recipe in half.
My Goofs:
- I didn’t use cilantro because I am not a big fan. I would try it next time. I used dried celery leaves but they didn’t break down well in the salad. Maybe I should have used fresh celery leaves instead. What do you use instead of cilantro?
- I didn’t squeeze out the water well and ended up having to do it by hand. Take two cutting boards and then place those who-needs-them-anyway yellow page on top of them. (Yes, I have opted out of receiving the yellow pages but still get some anyways. Sheesh.)
- MY BIGGEST GOOF? I thought the salad wasn’t yellow enough so I added more turmeric. Then I looked at the picture in Vegetarian Times. Um, the salad was beige. Oops. Hubby said too much turmeric but liked it anyways.
You can eat it plain, on a bed of lettuce or my preferred way, with sesame toasted Ezekiel Bread.
Join the Conversation:
- What are some of your favorite lunch time vegetarian meals? Link them in the comments below.
- Would you eat the above egg-less salad?
- Have you substituted for cilantro and if so, what do you use?
Marilyn says
I’m not a big fan of removing water from tofu by pressing it. Even the firmest tofu will quickly begin to crumble with a little weight. Instead I prefer to drain, wrap in a paper towel (that I reuse) or cheese cloth. I let the tofu air dry in the fridge also.
I’ve been a vegetarian for nearly 20 years and have found that air drying and towels are far better options than pressing. You just have to think ahead a little bit. For new tofu eaters, please don’t wait a decade to start drying your tofu. It will absorb flavors much better and the texture will be firmer!
I love cilantro but if you don’t want to eat it, most people do use regular celery in their egg salad. They just chop it finely. I’m not a fan of veggies in egg salad so I don’t do that.
I also love turmeric but a little bit goes a long way!
Thank you for the great recipe.
Anna@GreenTalk says
Marilyn, I am trying to get a visual. How long do you wrap the tofu in cheese cloth or paper towels. Will a rag work? Or how do you air dry in the fridge? Just sit it in a bowl? For how long? I like you way so much better.
Also, do you freeze your tofu? Can you tell me your way.
What do you think about using the celery leaves rather than celery in the dish in lieu of cilantro.
Personally, this dish gets better and better as it sits in the refridge.
Marilyn says
A dish that gets better in the fridge is my kind of dish!
I do a couple different things to dry the tofu. For air drying, I often drain the tofu and stick it right back in the fridge, often in the case I just drained. Or I set it on a plate. If you can, you might check it periodically because water can still pool up at the bottom. If that happens, just pour it off. This is the fast, lazy way for me.
Otherwise, I just wrap the cheese cloth or towel around the block and let it sit on a plate until I think it’s dry enough. I think you could use any cloth that wouldn’t leave fibers on your tofu but would let the moisture out and the air in.
I’ve found that the best way to freeze tofu is to drain it, not squeeze it too much because it’s delicate, put several in a large freezer bag (which I also reuse). After it’s frozen solid, I thaw in the fridge for about 48 hours. I cannot believe how slowly tofu thaws! I do admit that I sometimes throw undrained blocks in the fridge. You’ll still get a chewy tofu that soaks up flavors but you’ll have to squeeze out more water before you use it and it will be crumbling as you do. Kind of messy.
I think you could use chopped celery leaves. I don’t see a problem with that.
Anna@Green Talk says
Thanks, Marilyn! Do you use tempeh too?
Also, what is some of your favorite really quick tofu dishes. I happen to like tofu when it is harder.
Do you know the secrets to frying tofu like you see in Indian dishes?
the diet solution reviews says
I keep meaning to make some tofu egg salad. I was such a big egg salad fan before I stopped eating eggs, but they were this special once in awhile treat. Tofu egg salad is totally better though, and faster because you don’t have to boil anything 🙂 Thanks.