Soft Tofu Green Onion Salad (小葱拌豆腐 Xiao Cong Ban Dou Fu)

The heat came really early this year in Texas. I almost had heat stroke working in my vegetable garden the other day. Usually in Texas, June is the month when the heat and humidity start getting really bad. But for someone like me who lived in New York City and Northern Virginia for more than two decades, I would rather endure the hot and humid Texas summer than the cold and dry winter of the Northeast. After all, the summer in Texas is not that much worse than the summer in the DC area. Plus, I do enjoy Texas’ year round gardening.

That said, when it gets so hot and humid outside, all I want to do is to hide in my air conditioned house. But my two boys like to play outside, and I also have a vegetable garden to tend. So despite my reluctance to stay outdoors in the heat, I often have to spend a fair amount of time under the scorching sun. So when I feel drained by the heat, cold, simple dishes come to my rescue. They take little time to prepare and taste refreshing after the summer heat.

Today’s dish, Soft Tofu Green Onion Salad, is one of those cold, refreshing dishes. It’s actually quite a popular household dish in China. I remembered it when I desperately needed to make a quick, cold dish after my energy had been completely drained by the heat. Out of all my recipes so far, this one takes the least amount of time to make. In under 10 minutes, you can have this flavorful, refreshing, and melt-in-your mouth salad. All you need is a container of soft or silken tofu, some green onions, and few basic seasonings. Not to mention it’s super healthy and kids friendly. My family has been enjoying it for the past few weeks and I hope you will enjoy it too.

Gluten Free,² Vegan, Low Carb

Preparation Time:  10 minutes

Total Time:  10 minutes

Servings: 2 to 4 people

Ingredients:

• 1 container of soft/silken tofu (~1 lb or 450 g) ¹
• 3 green onions (green parts only)
• 1 tablespoon light soy sauce ²
• 1/2 teaspoon sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon table salt
• 1 tablespoon sesame oil

Preparation:

1. Make a few long slits around the border of the tofu container. Pour the liquid out. Carefully transfer the tofu out into a shallow bowl. If desired, trim the border with a knife so all sides have a smooth finish.

2. Chop the green parts of the green onions into thin slices.

3. Carefully pour out any extra liquid from the tofu. Sprinkle the green onions on top. Then add the 1 tablespoon of light soy sauce, 1/2 teaspoon of sugar, 1/4 teaspoon of table salt, and 1 tablespoon of sesame oil. Mix it up right before eating. Enjoy!

Bon Appétit

Notes:

1. If you can’t find soft tofu, you can use medium or firm tofu instead. But you should blanch the tofu in hot or boiling water first to remove any raw taste. Make sure to cool completely if blanching the tofu. You don’t need to blanch if using soft/silken tofu.

2. Use gluten free soy sauce if you are gluten intolerant.

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