Vegan Vietnamese Rainbow Salad With Sesame Crusted Tofu

If you're after a nourishing bowl of delicious vegetables, crunchy tofu, and slightly sweet sauce, this Vegan Vietnamese Rainbow Salad With Sesame Crusted Tofu is for you! 

Some say that vegans eat like rabbits and that's not entirely wrong! We do love a big bowl of veggies, especially is it's accompanied by some tasty tofu and even better if it has a more cultural taste. Impress your friends and family with this healthy, vegan salad that will fill their bellies and their hearts. 

This recipe was submitted by one of our lovely customers, Amy, who entered the F&F Recipe Competition. She is a major foodie and loves perfecting different cuisines. Scroll down for the recipe and read Amy's advice on cooking with new ingredients, the most vegan-friendly country she's visited, and her favourite products at F&F! 

Interview with Amy

As an avid traveller and a self proclaimed “foodie” Vietnam quickly rose to the top of my travelled list for its fresh, flavoursome and colourful dishes. This salad is one of my favourites as it encompasses all the things I love about Vietnamese cuisine but it also is simple and quick to make. The best thing about this recipe is it allows me to utilise its ingredients in different ways with ease to give me the most variety with minimal effort. Try mixing it up by adding noodles for a stir fried variety or using the ingredients in rice paper rolls and the dressing as a dipping sauce!

I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I do.

 Vietnamese rainbow salad with sesame-crusted tofu

(Serves 2)

Ingredients

For the dressing:

1/3 cup hot water

1 1/2 Tbs coconut sugar 

1 Tbs soy sauce

1 Tbs rice wine vinegar 

1 clove of garlic, diced finely 

1/2 red cayenne chilli, sliced thinly 

Juice of 1 small lime

For the tofu:

200g extra firm tofu, cut into cubes

1/4 cup of plain flour 

1/3 cup of water

1/2 tsp sriracha

 1/2 cup of Panko breadcrumbs 

2 1/2 Tbs sesame seeds

1 1/2 tsp garlic powder 

1 tsp dried ginger

Salt and pepper to taste 

Sesame oil (for frying) 

For the salad: 

 1 1/2 cups of red cabbage, thinly sliced

1 cup of rocket

1/2 a medium carrot, julienned 

1/2 a Lebanese cucumber, thinly sliced

1/2 a small red capsicum, thinly sliced

To garnish: 

 1/3 cup of cilantro, roughly chopped

1/3 cup green onions 

1/3 cup roasted cashews 

Method 

For the dressing:

1. Mix together the water and sugar together in a small bowl until sugar is completely dissolved
2. Add all other ingredients to the bowl 
3. Let rest in the fridge until needed

For the tofu:

1. In a medium bowl mix together flour, water and sriracha to form a consistency similar to pancake batter
2. In a separate bowl mix together breadcrumbs, sesame, garlic, ginger, salt and pepper
3. Take some tofu and dip into the batter mixture
4. Wipe off excess batter and transfer to your breadcrumb mixture
5. Repeat steps for all tofu and place on a plate ready for frying 
6. Add enough sesame oil in a pan to lightly coat the base
7. Once the pan is heated to medium-high heat add tofu to the pan
8. Reduce heat to medium and cook tofu, turning once each side has become golden brown in colour
9. Remove and place tofu on a paper towel to remove excess oil

For the salad: 

1. Prepare all salad ingredients and separate into two separate bowls
2. Divide tofu and add on top of salad 
3. Garnish with cashews, cilantro and spring onions 
4. Finish off with dressing
5. Enjoy!

*The dressing is great to make ahead of time, which also brings out the flavour more

**For a GF substitute rice flour, gluten-free breadcrumbs and a gluten-free soy sauce, otherwise known as Tamari.