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Salad

Easy Tofu Salad

A chilled salad of cubed tofu, tomato, green onions, dressed with soy, sesame, and vegetable oil, served on lettuce.

From the Recipes Wiki (Fandom) · 10 ingredients
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Why it works: Tofu and sesame match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 250 recipes. Both carry 2,4-decadienal, which smells seaweed. The science ↓

Easy Tofu Salad

Ingredients

Directions

Prepare the salad

  1. Combine tofu, tomato and green onions.

  2. Combine oil, soy sauce, sesame oil and sugar, and blend well.

  3. Pour dressing over tofu and toss lightly to mix.

Chill and serve

  1. Chill until ready to serve.

  2. Place in a bowl lined with lettuce.

  3. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and top with pickled ginger.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

446Calories
12 gProtein
32 gFat
32 gCarbs

Counts 9 of 10 ingredients. The other 1 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.

What these numbers assume: 9 portions
IngredientPortion assumedkcal
Sesame1 tbsp (14g)120
Olive Oil1 tbsp (14g)119
Tofu100g firm76
Sugar1 tbsp (12.5g) granulated49
Onion1 medium (110g)44
Tomato1 medium (123g)22
Soy Sauce1 tbsp (15ml)9
Lettuce1 cup shredded (36g)5
Ginger1 tsp grated fresh (2g)2
Toasted Sesame Seednot in our table0

One typical portion per ingredient; the recipe's quantities are not counted. A rough guide only, not for medical or dietary planning.

Recipe from the Recipes Wiki (Fandom).

Steps grouped into stages for easier reading; the method is the source's own.

Explore the science

The flavor team

The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much their aromas overlap, and how often cooks already put them together.

  1. Tofu + sesametop 1% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together250 recipes

    Shared aroma: 2,4-decadienal (seaweed).

  2. Sesame + lettucetop 1% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together193 recipes

    Shared aroma: nonanal (fat, citrus).

  3. Onion + sesametop 4% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together2,192 recipes

    Shared aroma: gamma-nonanolactone (coconut, sweet).

  4. Sesame + gingertop 4% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together1,531 recipes

    Shared aroma: nonanal (fat, citrus).

  5. Tomato + lettucetop 6% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together1,655 recipes

    Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).

Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs

What each ingredient does

Firm tofu
Provides the main body of the salad, holding its cubed shape against the dressing.
Tomato
Adds moisture and a fresh, slightly acidic juiciness to the salad.
Vegetable oil
Carries the flavours of the dressing and coats the tofu evenly.
Soy sauce
Adds savoury saltiness that seasons the tofu through the dressing.
Sesame oil
Contributes a nutty aroma that defines the dressing's flavour.
Sugar
Balances the saltiness of the soy sauce with a touch of sweetness.

Swap the ginger

The recipe marks ginger as optional. How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (tofu, tomato, onion, sauce, sesame, sugar, lettuce):

  1. Garlicfits better
  2. Capersfits about as well
  3. Cuminfits about as well
  4. Gingerthe original

Fit is the average pairing score against tofu, tomato, onion, sauce, sesame, sugar, lettuce. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.

“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.

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