Sharing a super easy tofu and celery salad that is perfect for hot summer days. The tender tofu and crisp celery are mixed with a savory and tart dressing with plenty of aromatics and heavenly chili oil, using minimal ingredients to create maximum flavor! It’s a perfect dish for making ahead too because it tastes even better the next day. {Gluten-Free Adaptable, Vegan}
We have been going through a heat wave in New York for two weeks. It has been quite challenging to cook in the kitchen without sweating my face off. That’s why I’ve been cooking a lot of air fryer dishes so the kitchen doesn’t heat up so much. Today I want to share this super quick and easy tofu and celery salad recipe, using a few single ingredients to create lots of flavor.
Use baked tofu to create a better salad
In China, we like to use various tofu products to make salads and stir fries. By tofu products, I’m talking about special types of tofu that have different textures from regular tofu. For example, smoked tofu and sliced tofu (read more in my tofu guide). Those types of tofu are much chewier in texture and they do not fall apart easily during cooking.
In the US, you will need to make a trip to a Chinese or big Asian market for those products. But luckily, there are more and more types of tofu becoming available in regular grocery stores.
For my tofu and celery salad, I like to use baked tofu. Of course you can always use your homemade baked tofu. But to keep things simple, I prefer to make this dish with the packaged baked tofu from my local organic food store.
Compared to regular tofu, baked tofu has a better taste when used uncooked, and it has a firm, meaty texture. So it’s perfect for making tofu and celery salad.
Ingredients
Sichuan peppercorns
Sichuan peppercorn (花椒, hua jiao) is a great ingredients for making tofu and celery salad. It has a citrusy taste with a numbing tingling sensation when you chew on it. When lightly cooked in the oil, it will impart a heavenly aroma to your dish that no other ingredient can replace. You can purchase Sichuan peppercorns at Asian grocery stores, but I highly recommend these premium fresh ones from The Mala Market. Their Sichuan peppercorn in a grinder is a pantry essential that I use almost daily.
Chinese celery vs. regular celery
Chinese celery has a thinner stem and a more distinct flavor. If you happen to come across some at the Asian market or farmers market, this is a great recipe for it. But if you only have regular celery, that’s totally OK too!
How to make tofu and celery salad
- Combine the tofu and celery with the sauces
- Cook the Sichuan peppercorns, ginger and garlic in oil
- Add the cooked aromatics to the salad
- Mix everything together and finish up the salad with chili oil
NOTE: It’s important to cook the aromatics. The process will make the garlic less sharp and bring out the heavenly aroma from the ginger and Sichuan peppercorns.
How to serve tofu and celery salad
Although you can serve the tofu and celery salad immediately after making it, I prefer to let the ingredients sit in the dressing for a while. I made a bit more dressing and left the cut of tofu pieces quite big for this purpose. The tofu will soak up the sauce and taste super rich. You will have extra marinade from the recipe to serve over the rice, or you can save it to use on another salad later.
Other perfect summer salad recipes
Easy Tofu and Celery Salad
Servings: 3 to 4 servings
Ingredients
- 7 oz. (200 g) baked tofu sliced to 1/2” (1 cm) thick 2” (4 cm) long sticks
- 3 to 4 stalks regular celery (or 1 small batch Chinese celery) sliced to 1/3” (6 mm) thick 2” (4 cm) long sticks (yields 2 cups after cutting)
Instructions
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Add the tofu and celery to a big bowl. Add the light soy sauce, Chinkiang vinegar, and sugar.
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Heat oil in a small saucepan over medium heat until hot. Add the garlic, ginger and ground Sichuan peppercorns. Stir a few times to release the fragrance. Immediately pour everything over the tofu and celery. Stir to mix well. Pour in the chili oil (or sesame oil) and mix again. You can either store the salad in the fridge for up to a day or serve immediately as an appetizer. The salad will taste better if you let the tofu marinate in the dressing for at least 30 minutes.
Nutrition
Serving: 1serving, Calories: 203kcal, Carbohydrates: 10.3g, Protein: 11g, Fat: 14g, Saturated Fat: 1.9g, Sodium: 620mg, Potassium: 167mg, Fiber: 2.2g, Sugar: 5.6g, Calcium: 25mg
