Dragon Salad
Dragon Salad is my absolute favourite restaurant dish, courtesy of The Gate.
The Gate was always accessible. near Sadlers Wells and Mayfair. until recently when it closed those branches. The Hammersmith branch is too far to frequent. Gutted, I have tried to recreate the dish from memory. This isn’t quite right but it’s close enough. Crunchy veggies and smoked tofu. Fresh and flavoursome. Enjoy.
Dragon Salad
Ingredients:
Glazed smoked tofu (sliced)
Cornstarch
Sliced fresh avocado (fairly firm)
Red cabbage, finely shredded
Pak choi, shredded
Daikon radish, julienned
Carrots, julienned
Mange tout, sliced
Bell peppers, sliced
Sesame oil
Soy sauce
Rice Vinegar
Maple Syrup (or Agave)
Toasted sesame seeds for sprinkling
Instructions:
Press the tofu until most of the moisture has been released. Pat dry, slice (about half a centimetre), and coat with a light covering of cornstarch.
Toast sesame seeds and put to one side.
Fry the tofu until it starts to crisp.
Julienne / thinly slice the vegetables – keep fresh in the fridge.
Slice the avocado.
Heat the sesame oil, add a glug of soy sauce (about 2 tbsp), rice vinegar (1 tbsp) and maple syrup (2 tbsp) – a squirt of Sriacha is optional – and cook until it thickens. Add the tofu and coat thoroughly. Allow it to cool.
Julienne / thinly slice the vegetables.
Slice the avocado.
Arrange the slaw in a thick line down the centre of the plate. Lay the avocado slices on top and place the tofu on top of that. Sprinkle toasted sesame seeds all over, and drizzle any remained glaze over the tofu and decoratively on the plate.
