A simple Korean tofu salad served with a soy based sauce. Easy, healthy, and refreshing!
In Korea, tofu is often enjoyed simply with a soy dipping sauce, called yangnyeomjang (양념장). It’s an easy way to add healthy and tasty protein to your meal. If you add your favorite spring salad mix, you can turn it into a refreshing salad. Perfect as a side dish or a light meal!
The simple sauce (yangnyeomjang) deliciously complements the nutty tofu and slightly peppery and bitter spring mix.
The tofu
Korean block tofu comes in 3 variations, depending on how much water is pressed out of the tofu. They are usually labeled on the package as firm (부침용, for pan-frying), soft ( 찌개용, for stews), or silken (생식용, for eating fresh).
For this tofu salad, silken (생식용) tofu is the best one to use. While the tofu is very smooth and soft, it can hold up its shape if handled carefully. It’s also sliceable. The soft one (찌개용, for stews) works too.
If you don’t have access to Korean tofu, use any type of block tofu you can find. The softer the better.
Although tofu is already cooked and can be eaten out of the package, I prefer boiling it for a few minutes. Boiling warms and softens up the tofu slightly. You can serve warm or at room temperature. I personally love warm tofu with the sauce!
How to serve tofu salad
Simply arrange sliced tofu on a plate or on a bed of spring salad mix and drizzle the sauce over. You can throw in other salad vegetables such as microgreens, grape tomatoes and cucumber slices.
More tofu recipes
Dubu jorim
Spicy braised tofu
Tofu kimchi
Tofu gimbap
Mapo tofu
Tofu bibimbap
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Ingredients
- 1 package soft or silken tofu
- 2 ounces spring salad mix
Sauce (Yangnyeomjang):
- 2 scallions (1 if large), finely chopped, about 1/4 cup
- 1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon vinegar or lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon rice wine (mirin, mirim (미림), or matsul (맛술))
- 1 teaspoon sugar or 2 teaspoons Korean plum syrup -maesilcheong, 매실청
- 1/2 teaspoon gochugaru (Korean red chili pepper flakes) Adjust to taste
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- 2 teaspoons sesame seeds
Instructions
- Mix all the sauce ingredients in a small bowl.
- Wash the spring mix and drain.
- In a medium size pot, bring about 4 cups of water to a boil and add the tofu. Cover and boil for 5 minutes over medium heat.
- Carefully transfer the tofu to a colander to drain and cool.
- Cut the tofu into two blocks. Cut each block into about 1/2-inch thick slices.
- Spread some spring mix on a plate. Arrange the tofu slices on top of the spring mix. Drizzle the sauce over the tofu when ready to serve.
This tofu salad recipe was originally posted in March 2012. I’ve updated it here with more information, new photos, and minor changes to the recipe.
