Tofu Salad with Peanut Sauce

Name: Tofu Salad with Peanut Sauce
Yield: makes 4 servings
Ingredients: Neutral oil, such as corn or grapeseed, for deep-frying; 1/2 pound firm tofu, drained, dried, and cut into 2-inch cubes; 3 small fresh chiles, preferably Thai, stemmed and seeded; 2 garlic cloves, peeled; 1 teaspoon shrimp paste or 1 tablespoon nam pla; 1 tablespoon sugar; 1 tablespoon soy sauce; 1/2 cup peanuts, chopped; Salt to taste; 1/4 cup bean sprouts; 1/4 cup Chinese yard-long beans or haricots verts, trimmed; 1 small cucumber, peeled and sliced

December 14, 2011

This is a warm salad, combining a wide range of textures and flavors, great as a light lunch or a starter for any Asian meal. Although you can buy packaged fried tofu at many Asian markets—and that is undeniably convenient—it is much better homemade. Just be sure to remove as much of the water as you can, by firmly pressing the tofu between paper towels as detailed on page 491. For information on shrimp paste, see page 9; for information on nam pla, see page 500.

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