Kale Salad with Fried Tofu and Miso Ginger Dressing

Step 1

Open the container of tofu and drain out the water. Wrap tofu block with two layers of paper towels and place it on a plate. Press the tofu by positioning a pot on top or another plate with something heavy in it (a bag of sugar or flour works well). Let it stand for 15 minutes.

Step 2

Place chopped kale in a bowl and sprinkle a pinch of salt. Massage the kale by grabbing a handful of it and giving it a quick squeeze. Continue doing this until the kale leaves turn into a slightly darker shade of green (no more than 30 seconds). Set aside.

Step 3

Whisk the miso ginger dressing ingredients together. I find using a fork helps to break up the miso paste. Set aside.

Step 4

Chop the tofu block into cubes. I sliced the block into 6 sections along the length of the tofu block and 5 slices along the width. You should end up with 6 smaller rectangular sections. Slice each section in half so that you get square tofu pieces, but don’t break the tofu apart. It will be easier to fry the tofu in the larger rectangular sections instead of smaller individual cubes.

Step 5

Heat a large pan with 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium-high heat. When the pan is hot, add the 6 rectangular tofu sections into the pan. Sprinkle some salt and pepper over the tofu. Fry it for 3 to 4 minutes, or until the tofu is a nice golden brown. Flip tofu, sprinkle more salt and pepper, and fry it for another 3 minutes. You can fry the remaining 2 sides of the tofu sections, if you like. Dish tofu onto a plate lined with a paper towel. Let tofu sections cool for at least 5 minutes before breaking it up into cubes.

Step 6

Toss all the salad ingredients, fried tofu, and dressing together. You probably won’t need all of the dressing. I used about half and refrigerated the rest for another salad. Sprinkle sesame seeds on top of the salad if you like. Serve immediately.