Inspired by a common cold dish in China, this salad is made of julienned cucumber, thin strands of tofu skin and fresh cilantro tossed in a savory, spicy and creamy peanut butter dressing. Perfect as a quick and easy appetizer or side dish, or double up the portion and have it as a light and refreshing main meal!
Prep Time
15 mins
Cooking Time
2 mins
Ingredients
Servings
2 - 4
Dressing
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of generously salted water to a boil. Add tofu skin strands and boil for 2 minutes. Drain and set aside to cool.
- Julienne cucumber into thin matchsticks, and roughly chop cilantro.
- Make dressing by mixing all the dressing ingredients in a large mixing bowl until combined. Taste and adjust seasonings if needed.
- Add tofu skin strands, cucumber and cilantro to the bowl, and toss to combine. Serve at room temperature or cold. Enjoy!
Notes
- You can find tofu skin strands in the fridge section in Asian grocery stores. It also goes by names like dried bean curd slices, soy beancurd strips or soy tofu slices. It’s got a texture that is firmer than firm tofu and holds up its shape well in cooking, which means it also makes an excellent gluten-free and high-protein substitution for noodles.
- If you can’t find pre-sliced tofu skin, you can purchase tofu skin sheets and simply cut them into thin noodles using a knife.
- Julienned cucumber and carrot are most commonly used in this dish, but feel free to substitute or add any of your favorite vegetables instead!
- You may substitute Chinkiang vinegar with rice vinegar.
- You may substitute monkfruit erythritol sweetener with any other sweetener of choice.
- If you don’t like the pungent flavor of raw garlic, you can substitute it with 1/8 tsp garlic powder instead.
- Feel free to adjust the amount of chili flakes and Sichuan pepper powder according to your spice preference.
