Contrary to the impression created by that tag cloud to your right, I do not subsist entirely on cookies.
In an effort to show that I’m not just about sweets, this was our quick, refreshing and easy middle-of-the-week dinner tonight. It was thrown together in all of fifteen minutes, because the baked tofu was store-bought and the carrot dressing was left over from Monday’s arugula salad. Still, even with making the dressing from scratch and simply pan-frying some plain tofu with a splash of soy and a sprinkle of seasoning, you’ll still be well under the half-hour mark on this one.
The carrot dressing, the same kind you frequently get on salads in Japanese restaurants, is sweet and substantial enough to act almost as a second vegetable. You could add any other embellishments you like, but it’s been so insufferably hot that I have barely wanted to eat, let alone cook, and this kind of plainness is exactly what I was looking for. With the tofu, it’s a full meal for a summer day, but without the tofu it would be a great side dish for heartier fare in less oppressive weather.
Nappa Cabbage Slaw with Carrot Dressing and Tofu
Serves 4
1 head nappa cabbage
1/2 pound of carrots (approx 3 medium or 6 small), peeled
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup rice wine vinegar
3 tablespoons grated ginger
3 tablespoons thinly sliced garlic scapes or 1 shallot, minced
1 tablespoon light soy sauce
1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
1 tablespoon dry sherry
1/2 cup grapeseed or other mild-flavored oil
4 oz baked seasoned tofu
1/4 cup sesame seeds
Roughly chop the carrots and place in a blender with the water, vinegar, ginger, scapes or shallot, soy, sherry and sesame oil. Blend until smooth. With the motor running, drizzle in the oil slowly to form an emulsion.
In a dry frying pan over medium-high heat, toast the sesame seeds, stirring or tossing frequently, until golden. Remove from heat and let cool to room temperature while finishing the salad.
Thinly slice the tofu into strips.
Finely shred the cabbage and toss with enough dressing to generously coat but not drown the greens. Dish into shallow bowls, top with the tofu, and sprinkle heavily with the sesame seeds.
I can hardly wait until you get to Seattle so I can watch you take the photos for your site. They are just so wonderful. And so are your recipes.
Thanks! I need a better camera and better conditions, though, since my kitchen is currently in the basement and natural light is completely out of the question. I’m really looking forward to the amazing Pacific Northwest produce, and hopefully a kitchen with a window.
I think your garden pictures are amazing and I know I can learn a lot from you too!
I made this for supper last night, and while we enjoyed the flavor overall, I think I may have done some things that made it a little overwhelming.
The cabbage was very strong. I’m not sure if that is a) because I’ve never had nappa cabbage in anything but soup and didn’t know what to expect, b) even though the leaves seemed fresh, it had been sitting in the refrigerator for too long, c) I shouldn’t have grated the cabbage right down to the numb.
Grating ginger does not seem to be my specialty. I have a cute little fish shaped gadget that calls itself a ginger grater, but that little misery was getting me nowhere. I also a have a miniature grater that allows for very fine gratings, but that too was awkward, and left me with a lot of stringy pulp. I commenced to chopping, and I think that may have resulted in my 3 tablespoons of ginger being more than what was intended. If one develops ginger grating phobia, could one substitute spice cabinet ginger?
I wasn’t real sure what to do about scraping the garlic, and ended up slicing three cloves and adding that to the blender. Do you think that was too much?
It was good enough that I’d like to try it again.
Hope everything is well with you!
Nappa cabbage is usually really mild, so I suspect you had a cabbage that was on its way out.
I’m sorry you had grating difficulties! Ginger gets stringier as it gets older, so that might have been the problem, but I’ll admit that I have never quite loved the porcelain ginger graters either, and far prefer to use my microplane grater. I would use your fine grater instead of the fish one if it works better.
As for three cloves being too much garlic, if it didn’t taste too garlicky to you, then no! Garlic is entirely a matter of personal taste (and/or need for vampire repellent).