Yam Tao Hu, Thai Spicy Tofu Salad
Yam means to toss, and a Thai yam is a salad dressed in nothing but lime, chile, and a salted, savory element, no oil in sight. Yam tao hu builds it around tofu, usually deep-fried, here dry-seared in a hot pan until the cubes go golden and firm. The dressing is the point: fresh lime for sour, a mashed date for the palm-sugar sweetness that rounds it, and a spoonful of tamari standing in for the fish sauce that carries the salt and funk in a restaurant version. Tomatoes, shallots, and celery add crunch and moisture, herbs and crushed peanuts finish it. It comes together in the time it takes the tofu to brown, and it is meant to be eaten right away while the herbs are bright.
Ingredients
- 14 oz Firm tofu, pressed and cut into 3/4-inch cubes
- 2 tbsp Lime juice
- 1 tbsp Low-sodium tamari
- 1 whole Medjool dates, pitted
- 2 wholes Thai bird chile, thinly sliced
- 1 clove Garlic, minced
- 2 wholes Shallots, thinly sliced
- 1 cup Cherry tomatoes, halved
- 1 stalk Celery, thinly sliced on the bias
- 2 wholes Scallions, sliced
- 1/4 cup Cilantro, chopped
- 1/4 cup Mint, leaves, torn
- 3 tbsp Peanuts, toasted and coarsely crushed
Method
- Press the tofu 15 minutes under a weighted plate to drive out water, then cube it. Dry tofu browns instead of steaming, and browning is what gives this salad the texture the fried tofu of the original brings.
- Get a nonstick or well-seasoned pan very hot and lay the cubes in a single layer. Leave them alone until each face turns golden and releases from the pan, then turn, about 8 minutes total. A dry, hot pan crisps the outside with no oil at all. Let them cool while you build the dressing.
- Make the dressing: mash the pitted date to a paste with the flat of a knife, then whisk it with the lime juice and tamari until smooth. The date stands in for the palm sugar that balances a yam dressing, and the tamari carries the salt and savor that fish sauce usually would. Stir in the sliced chile and garlic.
- In a wide bowl, combine the cooled tofu, shallots, cherry tomatoes, celery, and scallions. Pour the dressing over and toss gently so the tomatoes give up a little juice and loosen it.
- Fold in the cilantro and mint just before serving, then scatter the crushed peanuts over the top. A yam should hit sour first, then salty, then hot, with the herbs and peanuts on top staying fresh and crunchy. Taste and add more lime or chile to sharpen it.
Nutrition
Estimated per serving: 190 calories, 13 g protein, 4 g fiber, 210 mg sodium. Computed from USDA FoodData Central reference values for the main ingredients. This is an approximation, not a laboratory measurement. How these are computed.
Cost per serving is estimated from US national-average retail prices for cheap staple forms, using BLS dried-bean prices and USDA produce prices. Prices vary by store and season, so treat it as a guide, not a receipt. How this is computed.
