Century Egg & Silken Tofu Salad with Crispy Garlic and Soy Dressing

⏱ 15 min · Serves 2

A Cantonese-style cold dish that takes five minutes of real work: cool, custardy silken tofu draped with wedges of jammy century egg, showered with crispy garlic, spring onion and coriander, then flooded with a savoury sesame-soy dressing. Nutty, salty, faintly funky and dangerously good with plain rice or cold beer.

Per serving: 330 kcal · 18.0g protein · 8.0g carbs · 26.0g fat

Ingredients

• 1 block (300-350g) silken or soft tofu, well chilled
• 2 century eggs (pidan)
• 3 tbsp light soy sauce
• 1 tsp dark soy sauce (for colour, optional)
• 1 tsp rice vinegar
• 1 tsp caster sugar
• 1 tsp toasted sesame oil
• 1 tsp chilli oil, plus extra to serve (optional)
• 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 2 tbsp neutral oil
• 2 spring onions, thinly sliced
• Small handful coriander leaves, roughly torn
• 1 tsp toasted sesame seeds
• 1/2 tsp finely grated fresh ginger

Method

1. Peel the century eggs, rinse briefly and pat dry. Chill them for 10 minutes if soft, then cut each into 6 wedges with a lightly oiled knife or a piece of thread (wipe the blade between cuts).
2. Make the crispy garlic: heat the neutral oil in a small pan over medium-low heat, add the chopped garlic and fry, stirring, for 1-2 minutes until pale golden. Immediately tip garlic and oil into a small bowl to stop the cooking.
3. Whisk together the light soy, dark soy if using, rice vinegar, sugar, sesame oil, chilli oil and grated ginger until the sugar dissolves.
4. Carefully unmould the chilled tofu onto a shallow serving plate. Pat off excess water with kitchen paper, then cut into 2cm thick slices, keeping the block shape.
5. Arrange the century egg wedges over and around the tofu.
6. Spoon the dressing evenly over the top, then scatter with the crispy garlic and its oil, spring onions, coriander and sesame seeds.
7. Serve immediately, cold, with extra chilli oil on the side and steamed rice or congee if you like.