I am so happy to be writing this recipe, it has been far too long without a new post! However, it was not without good reason — I moved! This is the first recipe written and refined in the new kitchen. I can not wait to create & share so many recipes from the new space. I look forward to a winter full of warm, homey recipes.

Now, I know it has been a long time, but I think this is a recipe which was worth waiting for. My wife, Mia, scored it a 10/10. The first perfect rating I have been able to get from her, the tough critic that she is. There are two key elements to this recipe, the first one is a spicy cucumber salad. We often go to a fantastic Chinese hand pulled noodle here in Montréal called Nouilles de Lan Zhou. They not only have delicious soup, but also serve a great spicy cucumber salad as an appetizer. So this recipe tries to capture some of the flavors from that dish, but also deviates from it by incorporating onion, green bell pepper and additional seasoning. 

With the spicy cucumber salad – crispy pan fried tofu. This is something which I have been making and perfecting for a few months now. The idea is to make simple, yet flavourful and crunchy tofu. There is no pressing involved, just slice, bread and pan fry; simple as that! They taste like a crunchy chicken nugget and make a great complement to the spicy salad. All of this is served over a bed of rice with a few tasty toppers like sesame seeds, nori and chili crunch. I hope you enjoy this recipe! 

Active time 40 minutes

Cook time 15 minutes

Servings 4-5

Ingredients

Spicy Cucumber Salad

• 12-15 persian cucumbers
• 1 tbsp gochugaru (Korean chili flakes)
• 3 tbsp rice vinegar
• 1 tbsp sesame oil
• 1 tbsp neutral oil
• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tbsp coconut sugar
• 1/2 tsp light miso
• 1 tsp grated ginger
• 3/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 white onion, finely diced
• Green bell pepper, finely diced 

Tofu

• 1 block firm or extra firm tofu
• ¼ cup cornstarch
• ¼  cup nutritional yeast
• ½ tsp garlic powder
• ½ tsp onion powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• Oil for pan frying

The rest 

• Favorite rice, cooked
• Rice vinegar
• Nori, sesame seeds or chili crunch as toppers

Directions 

1. First, prepare the cucumber salad. To prepare the cucumbers, cut each cucumber into spears, but cutting it into quarters lengthwise. Then, cut the spears into bite sized pieces, about 1 inch long. 
2. In a large salad bowl, make the sauce. Combine the gochugaru, rice vinegar, sesame oil, neutral oil, soy sauce, coconut sugar, miso, ginger and salt and whisk to combine. Then add in and toss the cucumbers, onion and bell pepper. Taste and add more salt if necessary (depends on your soy sauce & rice vinegar). 
3. Next, it’s time to prepare the tofu. Make the breading by combining the corn starch, nutritional yeast, garlic powder, onion powder and salt in a shallow bowl. 
4. Cut the tofu block in half, then cut it into thin slices and bread the thin slices generously. Set aside until ready to cook. 
5. Heat a large non-stick pan on medium-high heat. Add enough oil to have a thin layer on the bottom and add in breaded tofu slices. When the tofu is golden and becoming firmer, flip it, typically this takes 5-6 minutes. The tofu should be crisp and golden on both sides.  It will probably take two rounds to cook all the slices, add more oil between the two batches.
6. Once the tofu is cooked, it’s time to plate! Add a base of rice to a bowl and add a splash of rice vinegar. Top with the cucumber salad (serve with a slotted spoon, it gets juicy), crispy tofu and your choice of toppers between crumbled nori, sesame seeds or chili crunch and enjoy!