food 4 tots

Frozen tofu salad with creamy sesame dressing

frozen tofu salad, creamy sesame dressing, thousand layers tofu salad, Japanese sesame dressing, food for toddlers, picky eaters, salad, recipe for kids, beancurd salad

RECIPE FOR FROZEN TOFU SALAD WITH CREAMY SESAME DRESSING

Source: Own concoction

Serve: 3-4

Ingredients for salad:
2 blocks frozen silken tofu – about 300g each (cubed) – note 1
1 Japanese cucumber (rinsed, deseeded, diced)
½ box cherry tomatoes (halved) – note 2
½ small corn on the cob (fresh) – note 3
Handful of toasted white sesame seeds – note 4

Ingredients for salad dressing:
4 tbsp white sesame seed (toasted and ground) – note 4
5 tbsp mayoinnaise
1 tbsp light soy sauce
1 tsp mirin (Japanese sweet wine) – refer to THIS LINK for photo
1 tsp rice wine vinegar/ rice vinegar (白米醋)
2 tbsp + 1 tsp honey (I used no water added honey)
½ tsp finely grated ginger (or slightly less)
1 tsp sesame oil
1 tsp extra virgin olive oil (or any salad oil)
Pinch of salt
Dash of freshly ground white pepper

Methods:

  1. In a small bowl, whisk together all the ingredients for salad dressing until smooth. Then cover the bowl with clip wrap and transfer to the fridge to chill until required.
  2. Prepare all the ingredients for salad.
  3. Assemble the salad with all the ingredients (except sesame seeds). Drizzle dressing over salad. Sprinkle toasted sesame seeds on top. Alternatively, put all the ingredients in a salad bowl and toss with the dressing.

Notes:

  1. Frozen tofu – prepare frozen tofu based on the steps mentioned in PAGE 3. Once the frozen tofu is thawed, gently squeeze out any excess water using either your palms or something flat. Cut the tofu into small cubes about ½ inch thickness. Line a baking sheet with 2-3 kitchen towels. Spread the tofu cubes on top and cover with another kitchen towel to absorb the moisture. After 5 minutes, discard the kitchen towels. Heat up cooking pan with oil. Pan-fry the cubed tofu under medium heat. Flip once or twice until all the sides turn lightly golden brown. Set aside.
  2. Cherry tomatoes – You can substitute with 2 normal tomatoes (deseeded and cut into cubes).
  3. Corn on the cob – remove the outer leaves and thin hairs (silk), wash and rinse. Then, carefully run a knife from the side of the cob to cut out the corns. Steam or blanch it over boiling water until it’s cooked. Then drain, leave to cool and cut out the corns. Alternatively, you can cut out the corns first and then cook.
  4. Toasted sesame seeds – dry fry seeds in a frying pan over a medium low heat until they are fragrant and turn golden brown. Once it’s done, remove from the pan and let it cool down. Reserve a small portion for tossing. Put 4 tbsp of sesame seeds into a food blender to grind until powdery. It’s better to prepare more than the required amount and store any extra seeds in an air-tight container for later consumption.
  5. To turn this salad into a main course, simply add some cooked pasta and poached chicken breast (steps refer to this post). Other suggested ingredients include cooked prawn, toasted seeds (sunflower or pumpkin seeds), nuts (almonds, pine nuts), salad greens (iceberg, lettuce, rocket, spinach etc) and cooked eggs.

 

Learn HOW TO FREEZE TOFU with step by step tutorial and tips at PAGE 3 BELOW

 

 

frozen tofu salad, creamy sesame dressing, thousand layers tofu salad, Japanese sesame dressing, food for toddlers, picky eaters, salad, recipe for kids, beancurd salad

If you like this article, please share:

Pin It!

28 Comments

  1. MaryMoh says:

    This just looks so healthy! Love those frozen tofu. I love to cook them in sauce where it can absorb all the lovely flavour. Love those baby tomatoes. I just bought a packet this morning to add to salads.

  2. JJ says:

    Hi! Nice blog. I really enjoy your blog. Great recipes, easy to follow and great photos too. May I know what camera you use & what lens? Thanks.

  3. Joanne says:

    I adore the texture of frozen tofu! More than that, though, I adore this dressing. Sounds fabulous!

  4. Ching @ LCOM says:

    You really got me intriguing, so I went ahead and freeze my firm tofu to test it out. 😀

  5. tigerfsh says:

    How coincidental! Just yesterday, I watched a cooking pgm about freezing tofu. It seems frozen tofu (after being thawed) absorbs marinade and seasoning really well.

  6. Alice says:

    This is so amazing! I will surely try it later…. 😀

  7. What a yummy salad recipe! I love the dressing. Must try that soon. I’ve heard of frozen tofu but haven’t done that yet either. Does it have the texture of agedofu? It kind of looks like it! But I imagine it has less oil. Thanks for posting. 🙂

    • food-4tots says:

      Melissa: Thanks!! Hope it suits your palate. No, the texture is different than agedofu. It’s more chewy and spongy. Do give it a try. Happy trying!! 😉

  8. amy says:

    These look amazing and super refreshing. What a great dish to have in the summer. I love all the vibrant colors in this salad. 🙂

  9. I just read your tutorial on how to remove tofu from the box – thanks so much! Super useful tips.

    • food-4tots says:

      The Sudden Cook: It’s my pleasure to share. I find that it is easier to remove tofu from the packaging for Unicurd brand as compared to Fortune brand. Give it a try. 😉

  10. I often freeze spicy tofu as it’s always packed in a large packet, that I can’t finish before it expires. So I’d freeze the rest once I open the packet. Great flavours retain.

  11. thank you for sharing, I honestly did not know about frozen tofu, wonderful dressing!

  12. This is so interesting! Thanks for the sharing, shall give that a try one day. And I’m still yet to make the 2nd try of the mushipan. Hopefully can try it out this weekend with your advices 🙂

  13. noobcook says:

    I used to freeze tofu for my hamster but never tried to use the frozen ones for my cooking. Your salad looks beautiful, and I can’t really tell you’re using frozen tofu cubes.

  14. Now you make me curious if I had eaten any frozen tofu before…. I’ve never cooked it before, but I might had it somewhere else. I checked your sesame dressing and I love it! My son who is not big fan of salad started to eat when he has sesame dressing on it (what a great discovery!). I’m going to try making this dressing soon. THANKS!!

Leave a comment to food-4tots