Half the
fun of dining out is gaining ideas for my own cooking at home. While on a
recent trip to Germany, I happened to dine at a Japanese restaurant that served
the most amazing spinach salad, served with deep fried tofu and freshly shaved
truffles from the nearby Black Forrest. To my delight, I was able to re-create
the dish at home. And in fact, my healthier, lighter version just might have
been even better!
Here’s the recipe.
Truffle
Miso Spinach Salad with Tofu
Tofu
Ingredients
1 16-oz
block extra firm tofu, drained and pressed
2
tablespoons soy sauce
1
tablespoon toasted sesame oil
1
tablespoon olive oil
1 heaping
teaspoon minced garlic
Dressing
Ingredients
¼ cup miso
2
tablespoons rice vinegar
2
tablespoons soy sauce
2
tablespoons sesame oil
1 heaping
teaspoon minced ginger
Salad Ingredients
3 cups baby
spinach
4-5 sprigs
of green onion, thinly sliced
1 large
ripe avocado
1 teaspoon
truffle salt (I like Sabatino Tartufi’s which can be found here)
Method
For the
Tofu – Dice the tofu into 1” cubes and place in a large Ziploc bag. Add the
remaining tofu ingredients, seal the bag, and toss until the tofu is thoroughly
coated. Set aside for at least 5 minutes while the air fryer preheats.
Preheat the
air fryer to 375 degrees. Add the tofu blocks to the air fryer basket in a
single layer and cook for 12-15 minutes shaking the pan or moving them around
with a tongs every 4-5 minutes to promote even cooking. Note: You could easily
make the tofu by baking in the oven on a foil or parchment lined baking sheet.
It will take longer to cook (about 30 minutes) at a higher temp (try 425).
For the
Dressing – Whisk the dressing ingredients together in medium sized bowl and set
aside. The miso takes a heavy handed whisking, though you could also add the
ingredients to a blender and whir for a few minutes on high.
For the Salad
– Place all the salad ingredients in a large bowl and toss with the dressing.
Add a couple turns of fresh ground pepper from a mill and then top with the
fried tofu. Serve immediately and enjoy!
