Vegetarian mains
Thai celeriac salad with noodles & crispy tofu
This is dish is inspired by the famous Thai green papaya salad, a dish of crisp shredded veg dressed with a sharp, fragrant and punchy dressing. The noodles and tofu help draw it into a well-rounded meal. As long as they are well drained and retain a slight bite, noodles are a great addition to a salad. This dish is about texture and freshness. The tofu should be crisp on the outside but soft in the centre.
Cook's notes
The Thai green paste already has a chilli heat to it, so only add the extra sliced chilli to your preference.
Ingredients
- 1 pack of marinated tofu
- plain oil, e.g. vegetable or sunflower
- bunch green beans
- 80g brown rice noodles
- 25g ginger
- 1 red chilli
- 1 shallot
- 1 lime
- 2 carrots
- 1 celeriac
- 1 sachet Thai green curry paste
- 2 tbsp tamari soy sauce
- 2 tsp brown sugar
- 50g salted peanuts
- 15g mint
Method
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Step 1
Put a pan of salted water on to boil. Preheat oven to 200°C/Gas Mark 6. Cut the tofu block into 4 thin slices, then cut each slice into even-sized, chunky matchsticks. Spread on the oven tray, turn in a little oil, season with a small pinch of salt and bake for 15 minutes, until golden and crisp.
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Step 2
Meanwhile, trim the ends away from the green beans. Slice them at an angle into 2cm pieces. Add to the boiling water and simmer for 3 minutes, until just cooked but with a slight bite remaining. Remove with a slotted spoon and keep to one side. Add the noodles to the same water. Stir to separate the strands and remove from the heat. Let them sit for about 4 minutes, until just cooked. Drain and cool in cold water immediately.
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Step 3
Peel and finely grate or chop the ginger. Deseed the chilli and slice it thinly. Peel the shallot and slice it as finely as you can into rings. Squeeze the juice from ½ of the lime, cut the other ½ into wedges. Peel and wash the carrots and celeriac. Use the peeler to pull the carrot into long thin ribbons, rotating as you peel until it becomes impractical. Cut the ribbons into thin strips.
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Step 4
Cut the celeriac into thin slices. Cut each slice into thin matchsticks. In a large bowl, mix the Thai curry paste with the lime juice, soy sauce, sugar, ginger and as much chilli as suits you. Add the celeriac, carrots, shallot and sliced green beans. Mix well and season with salt to your taste. Roughly chop the peanuts. Pick the mint leaves and roughly shred them. Thoroughly drain the noodles and pat dry with kitchen paper or a clean tea towel.
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Step 5
Add the mint and noodles to the mix. Turn thoroughly and gently together. Divide between 2 plates and top with the warm crispy tofu and the chopped peanuts. Serve with lime wedges for squeezing.