Do not be fooled by the fact that this recipe is a 'salad' - it is utterly delicious! The combination of sweet grapes with spicy chilli and the sesame-fried tofu is a delight to the taste buds, and the dish is surprisingly satisfying, as well as a great light option in the lead up to Christmas.
This salad takes less than 10 minutes to knock up, and the dressing delivers a fabulous chilli kick with the tang of lime and the sweetness of maple syrup. Of course, it's up to you if you change ingredients but I would say ensure to include the grapes, or another fruit, as the fruity flavour with the fiery is part of what makes it wonderful to eat.
If you want the GLUTEN FREE option, swap the soy sauce for tamari, and also in the dressing recipe as well.
Like me, you may not spend much time looking for salad recipes on blogs and websites, but give this a go and I promise that you will love it.
Spicy & Sweet Sesame-Fried Tofu & Baby Spinach Salad
Serves 2 people as a main, 4 as a starter or side
The salad:
400g / 14 oz firm tofu, patted dry then cut into 1 inch cubes
1 courgette (zucchini), grated
6-8 cherry tomatoes, halved
75g baby spinach leaves
Approx 16 grapes, halved
50g enoki mushrooms, raw
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1 tablespoon soy sauce or tamari (for gluten free)
The dressing:
Zest and juice of 1 lime
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
1 tablespoon maple syrup
1 tablespoon sesame oil
½ tablespoon sweet soy sauce
1 garlic clove, minced
½ red chilli, finely chopped
½ teaspoon ginger powder or 1 teaspoon minced ginger
¼ teaspoon sea salt
1. Make the salad dressing by whisking all the dressing ingredients together with a fork in a small bowl or jug. Set aside.
2. Arrange the salad vegetables and fruits on plates along with the mushrooms. Now fry the tofu!
3. In a large frying pan, heat the sesame oil on just above medium then add the tofu. Fry until lightly browned, shaking the pan to toss and brown on all sides. Once browned, splash in the soy sauce and fry for few minutes longer, ensuring all the tofu is coated with the soy sauce (or tamari if opting for gluten free).
4. While still hot, divide the tofu between the plates, then drizzle the dressing on both and serve.
I'm Andrea, and am obsessed with creating fabulous food. After I managed to ditch dieting, the reason Chocolate and Beyond was born, it seemed natural to evolve my site into a foodie blog. More so since I also ditched animal produce to be vegan. Now, I love showing how inventive cruelty-free cooking can be. And sometimes I like to rant, too. I wouldn't be myself otherwise :) x 
This combination sounds crazy-good!:) I've had tofu many ways, except for a salad. Would love to try this. Where do you get enoki mushrooms? I can't remember seeing them at the big supermarkets.
Posted by: Adriana | December 11, 2012 at 12:07 PM
Hi Adriana! Thanks for commenting. I bought the enoki mushrooms fresh from the Chinese supermarket that I shop at, although I think some of the very large Asdas sometimes sell them? They are supposed to be very good for you! You could of course substitute with another Chinese mushroom that you enjoy raw :)
Posted by: Andrea - Chocolate and Beyond | December 11, 2012 at 02:28 PM
The dish is surprisingly satisfying, as well as a great light option in the lead up to Christmas.
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