Spicy, garlicky cucumber bean curd salad is a classic Chinese cold dish. The bean curd in this refreshing, high-protein vegan recipe can be subbed by Zeroodles.
3ozbean curd strips(*can sub with 45g dried bean spaghetti (eg. Zeroodles pasta))
½English cucumber(see Note 1)
3clovesgarlic
1–2tbspchili crisp or chili oil
1tbspsoy sauce or maggi sauce
Optional Toppings
1tspshichimi togarashi
1tspsesame seeds
2tbspfinely chopped cilantro
2tbspfinely chopped scallion
Instructions
Boil the bean curd strips or soybean spaghetti for 2 minutes, then drain. (No need to rinse.) Alternatively, you can place them with 1 cup of water into an Instant Pot and set on high pressure for 0 minutes, followed by Quick Release.
(Skip this step if you're using pre-sliced bean curd strips or spaghetti.) Slice the cooled bean curd sheets into ½- to ¼-inch wide strips. Add to a salad bowl.
Slice the cucumber into ½-inch thick pieces. Add to the salad bowl.
Pound garlic into a rough mash using a pestle and mortar. Alternatively, you can use a garlic press or just mince it up really fine, but I find mortar and pestle to be the quickest and easiest option.
Add garlic, chili crisp, and soy sauce to the bowl. Mix everything together.
Add any toppings if you wish!
Notes
Instead of cucumber, I've also made this salad with lettuce and spinach. (I prefer to blanch them first because I like the cooked versions better than raw in this dish.)