Dried tofu skin shredded to look like noodles are soaked in soy-ginger-chili sauce then tossed with toasted sesame seeds, stir fried vegetables and Chinese sausages.
Cook’s notes
A filling dish that can be served as a one bowl meal minus the gluten and calories of traditional noodles. If gluten and calories aren’t your concern, make tofu skin noodle salad just for the sheer pleasure of enjoying a delicious dish.
What exactly is tofu skin noodle?
Tofu is the curd of ground soy beans. In the process of boiling the ground soy beans in water (what some call soy milk), a skin forms on the surface of the liquid. This skin is sold as tofu skin although, depending on your location, it may come by other names including beancurd skin or beancurd sheet. You can buy it fresh, frozen or dried. Tofu noodles is tofu skin that has been shredded into thin strands that resemble noodles. Tofu skin noodle is gluten-free and low in calories. I’m not gluten intolerant and I don’t count calories, but I do love tofu including tofu skin.There is stir frying involved; what makes this dish a salad?
By definition, salad is a dish that requires no cooking after all the ingredients are combined. Some of those ingredients may be raw while others may be cooked. In this recipe, the tofu skin noodles are boiled, the vegetables and sausages are stir fried, the sauce (or call it a dressing) is uncooked, but after they are all combined, the dish is complete, and no further cooking is required. So, technically, it is a salad.Tofu skin noodle salad
Ingredients
- 200 grams dried tofu skin noodles (7 oz)
Sauce (dressing)
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon sweet soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger with the juice
- 1 teaspoon chili oil
- 1 teaspoon calamansi juice or lemon or lime juice
- 1 teaspoon sesame seed oil
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- ¼ cup toasted sesame seeds
- ½ cup thinly sliced scallions
The extras
- 2 tablespoons cooking oil
- 1 shallot peeled and thinly sliced
- 4 cloves garlic peeled and thinly sliced
- ½ cup julienned carrot
- 10 to 12 asparagus spears cut into two-inch lengths
- rock salt
- ground black pepper
- 2 Chinese sausages sliced into rings
Instructions
- Cook the tofu skin noodles in boiling water until softened, about four to five minutes. Drain, rinse under the tap and drain again.
- Mix together all the ingredients of the sauce / dressing minus the toasted sesame seeds.
- Place the drained tofu skin noodles in a bowl, drizzle in the sauce / dressing and toss well.
- Add the sesame seeds and scallions, and toss. Set aside.
- Heat the cooking oil in a wok or frying pan, and saute the shallot and garlic until aromatic.
- Add the julienned carrot and cook, stirring, for a minute.
- Turn up the heat, add the asparagus, sprinkle in a teaspoon of salt and a quarter teaspoon of pepper. Stir fry for a minute.
- Add the sliced Chinese sausages and continue stir frying for another minute.
- Drump the stir fried vegetables and Chinese sausages into the bowl with the tofu skin noodles and toss thoroughly.
- Taste. Add more salt and pepper, if needed, and serve immediately.
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