Name: Crispy Tofu Noodle Salad Bowl with Mint
Prep time: 35 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 55 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Vietnamese
Ingredients: 8 oz dried rice vermicelli; 14 oz extra-firm tofu, pressed 20 minutes, cut into 3/4-inch cubes; 3 tbsp cornstarch; 1/3 cup neutral oil, for shallow frying; 2 cups green cabbage, finely shredded; 1/2 cup rice vinegar; 1/4 cup sugar, divided; 3 tbsp soy sauce; 1/4 cup fresh lime juice; 1 red bird's eye chili, thinly sliced; 2 cups green leaf lettuce, torn; 1 each carrot and english cucumber, cut into matchsticks; 1 cup bean sprouts; 1 cup shelled edamame, cooked and cooled; 1/2 cup fresh mint leaves; 1 tbsp black sesame seeds

Crispy Tofu Noodle Salad Bowl with Mint

4.6 from 318 home cooks Free

Cool rice vermicelli sits beneath lettuce, carrot, cucumber, bean sprouts and edamame, with quick-pickled cabbage for tang and golden tofu for crunch. A sweet, sour and gently hot lime dressing goes on right before eating. Modeled on a Vietnamese bun bowl, it makes a light but filling lunch on a sticky summer day.

Prep

35 min

Cook

20 min

Total

55 min

Serves

Level

Easy

Cuisine

Vietnamese

Method

Step 1: For the quick pickle, heat the rice vinegar with 2 tablespoons of the sugar until it dissolves, then pour it over the shredded cabbage in a jar. Press the cabbage down under the liquid and set aside for at least 20 minutes.
Step 2: Cook the vermicelli in boiling water for 3 to 4 minutes, or as the package directs, then drain and rinse under cold water, rubbing the strands between your fingers until they no longer feel sticky. Leave them in a colander to drain well.
Step 3: Blot the tofu cubes dry and toss them in the cornstarch until every side is dusted. Heat the oil in a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until a pinch of cornstarch sizzles on contact.
Step 4: Fry the tofu in a single layer, turning with chopsticks every couple of minutes, for 8 to 10 minutes total, until crisp and golden on all sides. Drain on a wire rack rather than paper towels so the bottoms stay crunchy.
Step 5: Whisk the soy sauce, lime juice, remaining sugar and chili with 1/4 cup warm water until the sugar dissolves. It should taste sweet, sour and salty in roughly equal measure, so adjust with more lime or sugar.
Step 6: Build each bowl with lettuce first, then a nest of noodles, then separate piles of carrot, cucumber, bean sprouts, edamame and drained pickled cabbage. Top with the tofu, mint and black sesame, and spoon on the dressing at the table.

Kitchen note

Cornstarch forms a thin, dry shell that crisps in far less oil than a batter would, and since tofu is already cooked, it only needs to fry long enough to build that crust.