I know the Chinese chopped chicken salad is a popular menu item at many restaurants. I decided to put my own spin of things and make a recipe with of tofu! This Chinese chopped tofu salad is crunchy, nutritious, and bursting with flavor!
I’m only calling this a Chinese chopped salad because it has similar ingredients, but whenever I make salads I like to throw in whatever I have in the fridge! It’s one of my favorite ways of using extra produce!
I did not include romaine lettuce in this recipe because I made this with meal prepping in mind. With my experience romaine makes the salad soggy when it has been sitting in the fridge for a couple days. If you are serving this recipe the day of, then adding some romaine lettuce would be a great idea!
Key ingredients for this Chinese Chopped Tofu Salad:
- Cabbage
- This is my preferred choice of greens when making an Asian inspired salad or any salad for meal prep! It stays nice and crisp even when dressed!
- Red bell pepper
- This adds a nice pop of color and crunch to the salad.
- Shredded carrots
- Shredded carrots are a must for and Chinese chopped salad! I love the color and crunchiness!
- Green onion
- I always like to add some kind of onion to my salads! I went with green onion for this one because it pairs well with Asian recipes!
- Cucumber
- Cucumbers are a nice refreshing touch that also have a nice crunch!
- Mango
- I love adding fruit to my salad, and I had a mango sitting in my fridge that I though would pair well with everything else!
- Clementines
- Now clementines are a classic for Chinese chopped salads! I could’t leave them out!
- Cauliflower
- This way a last minute addition I decided to add because I needed to use up a cauliflower! If you don’t have any don’t worry, but I definitely think this was my favorite part.
- Tofu
- This is the main source of protein. I used extra firm tofu marinated in soy sauce for about 10 minutes. You can also use chicken if you want!
- Powdered peanut butter
- I honestly think that powdered peanut butter is much better that regular peanut butter when it comes to dressings. You can make it thinner by using more water, and I think the flavor goes better with soy sauce!
- Soy sauce
- This is an important ingredient for the dressing and marinating the tofu!
- Honey or maple syrup
- I used honey for to sweeten up my dressing, but if you are vegan you can also sub with maple syrup or agave nectar!
Chinese Chopped Tofu Salad
I know the Chinese chopped chicken salad is a popular menu item at many restaurants. I decided to put my own spin of things and make a recipe with of tofu! This Chinese chopped tofu salad is crunchy, nutritious, and bursting with flavor!
Ingredients
- ½ head of cabbage sliced thinly
- ½ cup shredded carrots
- ½ red bell pepper sliced thinly
- 1 stalk green onion diced
- 2 clementines peeled or ½ cup
- ½ head of cauliflower cut into small pieces
- ½ mango diced or ½ cup
- ½ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp white pepper
- 1 tsp olive oil
- ¼ cup roasted peanuts
Tofu
- 10 oz extra firm tofu
- Enough soy sauce to cover the tofu
Peanut dressing
- ⅓ cup powdered peanut butter
- ⅓ cup water more if it is too thick
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tbsp honey
Instructions
- Start by pressing the moisture out of the tofu by wrapping it in a towel or paper towels. Place a heavy object onto of the tofu and let it sit for 10 minutes. Then slice your tofu into ½ an inch think pieces. I had 12 pieces total. Cover them with soy sauce and let it marinate for at least 10 minutes.
- Chop up your cauliflower and season with olive oil, salt, white pepper, and any remaining soy sauce. Place on a baking tray with the tofu and bake at. 375F for 20 minutes. Remove the cauliflower but continue to cook the tofu at 300 for 30 minutes to draw the moisture out.
- Now slice your cabbage and bell pepper thinly. Prepare the green onion, mango, clementines, and peanuts.
- Prepare the dressing by mixing together the powdered peanut butter and water until smooth. Then add in the soy sauce and honey. Mix well.
- Get a large salad bowl and add in all the prepared ingredients. Drizzle with the peanut sauce and serve!
