Japanese cuisine · Salads & Mezze

Shirae (Tofu Vegetable Salad)

Blanched carrots, beans, and shiitake folded into a creamy mixture of mashed tofu and sesame paste.

Ingredients · for 4 servings

• 300 g firm tofu
• 2 carrots
• 150 g green beans
• 4 fresh shiitake mushrooms
• 2 tbsp sesame paste (neri goma, or tahini as a substitute)
• 1 tbsp sugar
• 1 tbsp light soy sauce
• 1 tbsp mirin
• 1 tbsp sesame seeds
• 1 tsp salt

Instructions

1. Wrap the tofu in a clean cloth, weigh down with a plate and a can, and press for 20 minutes — the drier it is, the creamier the mixture becomes.
2. Cut the carrots into thin sticks 4 cm long, trim the beans and cut diagonally into thirds, and slice the stemmed shiitake into strips.
3. Cook the vegetables one after another in boiling salted water: carrots for 3 minutes, beans for 4 minutes, shiitake for 2 minutes; plunge all immediately into cold water and drain very well.
4. Toast the sesame seeds in a dry pan for 2 minutes and crush coarsely in a mortar until the oil releases and it smells strongly nutty.
5. Work the tofu with the sesame paste, crushed sesame, sugar, soy sauce, mirin, and salt in a mortar or with a fork into a smooth, curd-like cream.
6. Fold the cold vegetables loosely into the tofu cream only just before serving and arrange chilled in small bowls.