Name: Beancurd Cake and Bitter Cucumber Salad with Lime and Lemon Grass Dressing
Yield: for 4
Cuisine: Asia
Ingredients: 2 tsp finely chopped inner parts of lemon grass stalk.; 1 tsp ground coriander seeds; 1 bitter cucumber (bitter gourd); 2 tbsp groundnut oil; 6–8 fresh shiitake mushrooms, diced; juice of 1–2 lime(s); 3 shallots, thinly sliced; 1 egg; 1 tsp salt, or a little more to taste; 675–900 g/1½–2 lb Chinese-style tofu or long-life Japanese cotton tofu; 2–3 tbsp plain flour; 2–4 red bird’s-eye chillies, deseeded and finely chopped, to garnish; 3 tbsp groundnut oil; ¼ tsp cayenne pepper; 1 tsp caster sugar; 3 tbsp chopped spring onions

Preparation info

for
4

Difficulty
Medium

Appears in

New Wave Asian

By Sri Owen

Published 2002

About

Beancurd, or tofu, is generally regarded as bland, which it certainly is in its raw state. My new way with it is to make it into a spicy tofu cake, then dress it with contrasting tastes, bitter and sour, and a sprinkling of chopped chillies. This salad makes an interesting starter, or a vegetarian main course to accompany pasta with Red Pepper and Tomato Sauce.