Recipe: Baby Spinach and Tofu Salad with Sesame-Soy Dressing

This recipe is so healthy it makes me want to reach out for those bag of chips! While I am not exactly one to go on big mamak sessions or to binge on a tub of ice cream, I have a weakness for savoury snacks, namely, in order of preference, i) English-style fries (preferably eaten out of a newspaper package in Trafalgar Square before hopping onto the Night Rider...ah such fond memories!), ii) nuts (cashews, peanuts, macadamia, you name it) and iii) murukku. Unfortunately, my body is no longer willing to cooperate with me, and has decided, upon reaching its third decade, that it will punish me if I do not cease my evil ways. So as part of celebrating the summer, I've decided that it's high time that I start getting back into shape. It's started with swimming, and trying (note the operative word being trying) to eat better. The first few times I hit the pool, I felt like my lungs were going to cave in on me. I moaned and groaned and whimpered. Thankfully, things have gotten somewhat better with the exercising. I've been feeling a little off colour this week (and to illustrate, notice the cucumbers in the picture and the discolouration? Well, yours truly accidentally put them in the freezer when I was putting away the groceries). I decided to put together this salad which was inspired by a meal I had at an organic restaurant in KL. I cut down on the number of vegetables in the salad, instead relying on a few, but well-paired ingredients. I wanted to add sprouted moong sprouts (for a picture, see here) to the dish but was unable to find them here in Singapore, however, the nutty endamame worked just as well in adding texture. 

The hardest thing about exercising is....well, starting.
Source: Wiley by Thomas Vaclavek from Woodstock, USA (Wikimedia Commons)

Serves 2 (Simply double up if required)

Ingredients:

Dressing:

4 tbsp white sesame seeds

1 tbsp castor sugar
1 tbsp mirin
1 tbsp soy sauce

1/2 tbsp rice wine vinegar

1 tsp Japanese sesame paste (substitute tahini)

1 tsp grated ginger

2 tsp sesame oil

Dash pepper

In a skillet toast sesame seeds over low fire until nutty and golden brown. Grind sesame seeds in a mortar and pestle, and combine with sugar, sake, soy sauce, sesame paste, ginger, sesame oil and pepper. Mix until well incorporated.

Salad:

4 cups loosely packed baby spinach, stems trimmed if necessary
1 Japanese cucumber, sliced thinly
8-10 small cherry tomatoes
Large handful of frozen endamame pods
1/2 block of Japanese Yaki-style or other soft, smooth fresh tofu
1 large spring onion, sliced thinly
1 tbsp toasted sesame seeds to garnish

Drain tofu well and wrap in several layers of tea towels on a chopping board for about half an hour to drain excess liquid. Fill a medium saucepan with water and add a pinch of salt. Blanch frozen endamame pods for about a minute and then drain under running cool water to stop the cooking process. (Alternatively, microwave beans, with about 1 tbsp of water on high for one minute) When cool enough to handle, remove beans from the pods and set aside. In a large bowl, toss spinach with about 2-3 tbsp of the dressing, and divide among serving bowls. Top each bowl with sliced cucumber, cherry tomatoes, endamame and tofu. Scatter spring onion and sesame seeds and drizzle additional dressing if desired.