Tomato salad with silken tofu and yuzu kosho

Name: Tomato salad with silken tofu and yuzu kosho
Yield: 4
Cuisine: Japanese
Ingredients: 500g assorted perfectly ripe heirloom tomatoes; 1 large red shallot, thinly sliced; 1 tsp finely chopped shiso leaf (about 3 leaves); sea salt; 125g silken tofu; 2 tbsp fried shallots

Andrew McConnell

March 20, 2019

This salad is punchy and textural. I know some people find tofu challenging, but it can be omitted or replaced with good quality fresh buffalo mozzarella. Shiso (also called perilla) is an aromatic leaf in the mint family. It's available in most good Asian grocers. If you can't find it, substitute purple basil or Thai basil.

Ingredients

500g assorted perfectly ripe heirloom tomatoes
1 large red shallot, thinly sliced
1 tsp finely chopped shiso leaf (about 3 leaves)
sea salt
125g silken tofu
2 tbsp fried shallots

Yuzu kosho dressing

20g rice wine vinegar
20g soy sauce
10g rice vinegar
20g grapeseed oil
5g yuzu kosho paste*

Method

1. Make the yuzu kosho dressing by whisking all the ingredients together in a small bowl. Set aside.
2. Assess your tomatoes – if the larger tomatoes have thick skin, remove it by plunging the tomatoes into a pot of boiling water for 15 seconds. Lift them straight into a bowl of iced water to cool, then peel the skin off with a small knife. Cut the larger tomatoes into 1cm thick slices or wedges and place in a bowl. Smaller tomatoes can be simply halved or quartered.
3. Add the sliced shallot and chopped shiso to the tomatoes and season with a little salt. Gently toss 3 tablespoons of dressing through the tomatoes.
4. Slice the tofu into 1cm thick slices, arrange the tofu on a serving plate and place the tomatoes on and around the tofu. Drizzle over a little more dressing and scatter with fried shallots to serve.
*Yuzu kosho (a fermented paste of ground yuzu citrus peel and green chillies) is available in Japanese and some Asian grocers.