Pan-Fried Tofu Salad With Ginger Citrus Miso Dressing
Total Time: 45 minutes; 15 mins active
Servings: 4
Tangy with a little funk and slightly sweetened with a touch of honey, this recipe will hit the spot on a warm summer night. Miso, orange, and ginger are classic Japanese flavors that can be used as a marinade or dressing. You can turn this into a marinade by simply reducing the amount of orange juice, keeping the formula thick enough to slather over any protein before cooking. Or, turn this into a dressing by thinning it out with more orange juice. This Pan-Fried Tofu Salad with Ginger Citrus Miso Dressing will show how versatile this recipe is. It will elevate your simple summer night salad into something Instagram-worthy!
Ingredients
Dressing/ Marinade
2 teaspoons of fresh ginger grated with a mircoplane, or minced
1 clove or garlic grated with a mircoplane, or minced
1 teaspoon of orange zest granted with a microplane, or minced
2 tablespoons of freshly squeezed orange juice (divided)
1 tablespoon of rice wine vinegar
1 tablespoon sweet yellow miso
1/2 tablespoon honey
4 tablespoons grapeseed oil
2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
Salt to taste
Salad
1 block firm tofu
1 tablespoon grapeseed oil
2 cups mixed greens of choice
2 vine ripened tomatoes cut into wedges
1 cucumber sliced into half moons
1 avocado cut into cubes
1 teaspoon of toasted sesame seeds
2 teaspoons finely chopped cilantro
Directions
Take the tofu out of the wrapper and drain as much water as you can out of it. Wrap the tofu block with a clean kitchen towel. Place something heavy like a cast iron pan on top of the towel-wrapped-tofu and leave it on the counter for about 10 mins to press some of the moisture out.
In a large bowl add the grated ginger, grated garlic, orange zest, 1 tablespoon of orange juice, rice vinegar, miso, and honey. Whisk until everything is combined and there are no more lumps in the miso. Slowly stream in the grapeseed oil while whisking to emulsify the dressing. Do the same with the sesame oil. Season with salt and pepper.
Cut tofu block into 1/2 cubes. Scoop a couple of tablespoons of the marinade over the tofu and carefully coat each piece. Let marinate for 30 minutes.
Assemble salad. In each serving bowl, layer the lettuce, cucumber, tomato, and avocado. Set aside.
With the remaining marinade, whisk in the remaining 1 tablespoon of orange juice to thin it out for the dressing. Set aside.
Pan-fry the tofu by heating a large skillet to medium heat. Coat the pan with 1 tablespoon of oil. Drain any excess liquid that has leaked out of the tofu. Blot off any extra marinade, each piece should be lightly coated (too much marinade will burn). Add the tofu in a single layer (you might have to do this in batches if you don’t have a large enough pan. Make sure to clean the pan between batches). Pan fry for 3-5 minutes on each side.
Layer the tofu on top of the salad. Sprinkle on the toasted sesame seeds and finely chopped cilantro. Drizzle on some more of the reserved dressing, and enjoy!