Author Notes
Over the weekend, I was invited to the Summer Fancy Food Show in New York to demo a recipe. Specifically, a Korean recipe. That may sound odd as I am definitely not Korean. I do love Korean food, though, and my hosts were looking to showcase how Korean food is becoming more popular, beyond just bibimbap (not that bibimbap isn’t amazingly good). I was happy to oblige. My husband and I eat Korean food often. It’s one of my favorite things to order in after a long day when I just want something comforting, or it’s the perfect thing to eat out with a large group of friends, because Korean meals are very much a communal affair.
I was sent a variety of Korean products for inspiration. I was really interested in the dried kimchi chips. Sure, there were lots of tasty sauces and seaweed snacks, but I adore kimchi, and the possibilities for crunchy kimchi goodness seemed endless. I had to put the chips on a salad, so I opted for a tofu salad because it is quite the opposite of crunchy. I marinated the tofu in a sweet and spicy Korean chili sauce, which is something you can find at most grocery stores now, then tossed the cubed and cooked tofu with bell peppers, jalapeño peppers, scallions and seaweed. I topped everything with my new favorite kimchi chips and got to eating. You can serve this hot or chilled, which is great for dinner one evening and lunch the next day. I served this salad on top of a big bed of arugula, ate it cold, and wished that I had just a little bit more. —CrepesofWrath
Ingredients
-
14 ounces
firm tofu, cubed into bite-sized pieces
-
1/4 cup
Korean chili sauce
-
2 tablespoons
soy sauce
-
1
red bell pepper, thinly sliced
-
1
jalapeno, sliced into rounds
-
juice of 2 limes
-
3
scallions, thinly sliced on an angle
-
2
sheets seaweed, crumbled/sliced
-
1/4 cup
dried kimchi chips
Directions
-
Cube the tofu into bite-sized pieces and toss with the chili sauce and soy sauce. Set aside to allow the tofu to soak up the marinade.
-
In a large bowl, combine the sliced bell pepper, jalapeño and lime juice. Add in 3?4 of your sliced scallions and 3?4 of your sliced nori, saving some for garnish. Toss to combine.
-
Heat your oil in a heavy bottomed pan, such as cast iron. Cook your tofu over medium-high heat, until browned on all sides and the sauce has slightly reduced.
-
Toss together the cooked tofu with your other vegetables. Add in the kimchi chips and toss once more. Garnish with remaining scallions and nori. Serve warm or refrigerate and serve chilled.
See what other Food52ers are saying.