Sesame-coated Tofu with Aduki Bean Salad Recipe

Serves

Ingredients

450g tofu, drained, patted dry and sliced into 8 slices about 1cm thick
2tbsp tamari or light soy sauce
4 heaped tsp cornflour
6 heaped tbsp sesame seeds
125g canned aduki beans, drained and rinsed
11-cm piece cucumber, quartered lengthways and thinly sliced
3 spring onions, thinly sliced diagonally
120g pea shoots and mixed leaves
2 handfuls of sugar snap peas, sliced diagonally
1 red chilli, seeded and thinly sliced
sunflower oil, for frying

Dressing

2tbsp tamari or light soy sauce
2tbsp freshly squeezed lime juice
1tsp caster sugar
1-cm piece fresh root ginger, peeled and finely chopped

Method

Put the tofu in a shallow dish and pour the tamari over. Turn the tofu to coat and leave to marinate for 1 hour, spooning the tamari over the tofu occasionally.

Mix together the cornflour and sesame seeds in a second shallow dish. Add the tofu in batches and turn until evenly coated in the mixture. Pour enough sunflower oil into a large frying pan to shallow-fry the tofu. Fry the tofu over a medium heat in two batches for 2-3 minutes on each side until golden, then drain on paper towels.

Meanwhile, mix together all the ingredients for the dressing and stir to dissolve the sugar.

Put the aduki beans, cucumber, two of the spring onions, the pea shoots and mixed leaves, sugar snap peas and half the chilli in a large serving dish. Pour enough of the dressing over to coat and toss gently until combined.

Pile the sesame-coated tofu on top of the salad and sprinkle over the remaining spring onions and chilli.

Recipe courtesy of The Salad Bowl by Nicola Graimes, published by Ryland Peters & Small. Photography by Matt Russell

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