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Salad

Tofu Salad I

A chilled salad of diced tofu, spinach, bean sprouts, seasoned with rice vinegar, soy sauce, and garlic.

From the Recipes Wiki (Fandom) · 6 ingredients
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Why it works: Spinach and garlic match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 2,435 recipes. Both carry coumarin, which smells sweet, hay. The science ↓

Tofu Salad I

Timeat least 2 hours chilling

Ingredients

Directions

Prepare

  1. Dice tofu into bite‑sized pieces.

  2. Wash spinach thoroughly and tear into bite‑sized pieces.

  3. Wash bean sprouts.

Assemble and chill

  1. Place tofu in a large serving bowl, top with spinach and bean sprouts.

  2. Top with garlic to taste.

  3. Pour vinegar and soy sauce over salad.

  4. Cover and refrigerate at least 2 hours before serving.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

99Calories
10 gProtein
5 gFat
5 gCarbs

Counts 5 of 6 ingredients. The other 1 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.

What these numbers assume: 5 portions
IngredientPortion assumedkcal
Tofu100g firm76
Soy Sauce1 tbsp (15ml)9
Spinach1 cup raw (30g)7
Garlic1 clove (3g)4
Vinegar1 tbsp (15ml) distilled3
Beannot 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. Spinach + garlictop 1% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together2,435 recipes

    Shared aroma: coumarin (sweet, hay).

  2. Tofu + spinachtop 6% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together118 recipes

    Shared aroma: 1-octen-3-ol (mushroom, earthy).

  3. Spinach + ricetop 8% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together518 recipes

    Shared aroma: 2-methoxy-4-vinylphenol (clove, smoky).

  4. Tofu + garlictop 9% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together604 recipes

    Shared aroma: linalool (floral, citrus).

  5. Tofu + ricetop 9% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together220 recipes

    Shared aroma: 2,4-nonadienal (fatty, green).

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

What each ingredient does

Tofu
Provides the main protein body and a soft, absorbent texture that takes on the dressing.
Soy sauce
Adds salty, savory depth and seasons the tofu and greens as the salad rests.
Rice vinegar
Adds acidity that brightens the salad and balances the salty soy sauce.
Spinach
Adds leafy bulk and a fresh, slightly bitter note that contrasts the tofu.

The step that matters

Refrigerate at least 2 hours before serving. Tofu and greens only absorb the vinegar and soy sauce gradually. Serving too soon leaves the dressing sitting on top and the flavors unevenly seasoned.

Swap the garlic

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (tofu, spinach, rice, vinegar, sauce):

  1. Turmericfits about as well
  2. Capersfits about as well
  3. Garlicthe original
  4. Cuminfits less well

Fit is the average pairing score against tofu, spinach, rice, vinegar, sauce. 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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