Say goodbye to boring salads! Rice noodles, crisp veggies, a zippy soy ginger dressing and savory-sweet hoisin glazed tofu make this meal-worthy Vietnamese-inspired rice noodle salad absolutely irresistible.
- ½ pound extra firm tofu, drained and pressed
- 1 ½ teaspoons canola oil, or another high-heat oil
- 3 tablespoons hoisin sauce
- 4 ounces dried rice noodle vermicelli
- 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce or tamari
- 1 tablespoon canola or vegetable oil
- 1 tablespoon organic granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon fresh grated ginger
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 3 cups shredded Napa cabbage
- 2 medium carrots, shredded or julienned
- ½ medium cucumber, seeded and julienned
- ¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro
- ¼ cup chopped fresh mint leaves
- 2 scallions, chopped
- 1-2 jalapeño peppers, thinly sliced (optional)
- ¼ cup roasted peanuts
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Cut tofu into ½ inch cubes (or desired shape).
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Coat a large, flat-bottomed skillet with oil and place it over medium heat. When the oil is hot, add the tofu cubes in a single layer.
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Cook the tofu for about 10 minutes, flipping once or twice to achieve browning on multiple sides.
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Pour the hoisin sauce over the tofu and flip a few times to coat. Cook another minute or two, until the sauce thickens up just a bit.
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Remove the tofu from heat and transfer it to a plate.
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Bring a medium pot of water to a boil. Remove it from heat, add the noodles and submerge them. Soak the noodles until tender, about 3 minutes (or refer to the package directions).
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Drain the noodles into a colander and rinse them well with cold water. Leave the noodles in the colander to drain while you prepare the dressing.
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Whisk the vinegar, soy sauce, vegetable oil, sugar, ginger and garlic together in small bowl.
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Place the noodles into a bowl and add the cabbage, carrots, cucumber, cilantro, mint and scallions. Pour the dressing over the noodles and toss to coat.
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Divide the noodle salad onto plates or into bowls. Top with tofu and peanuts. Serve.
The nutrition information is based on 3 servings, but you could get up to 6 side dish servings out of the recipe, or even make 2 giant meals out of it.