Vietnamese crispy tofu and green papaya salad

INGREDIENTS

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• 2 cups peanut oil
• 200 g firm tofu in one piece
• 1 green papaya, about ½ kg
• ½ cup vietnamese mint leaves
• ½ English cucumber
• 40 g Chinese celery stalks
• ½ cup pickled carrots *
• ¾ cup nuoc mam cham sauce **
• 2 tbsp shallot oil ***
• ¼ cup chopped roasted peanuts ****
• 1/3 cup fried shallots ***
• lime wedges to serve

METHOD

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If the tofu is still soft and watery, press it first.

Pat the tofu dry with paper towels and cut into 7×7 cm slices of ½ cm thick.

In a pot (20 cm in diameter) preheat the oil to 180^oC. Carefully add the tofu slices to the oil. Fry until crispy and golden brown (10-15 min.) turning the slices once during cooking. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the tofu onto paper towels. Once drained and cooled, cut into strips ½ cm wide.

Peel the papaya and julienne it. Roughly cut up the Vietnamese mint. Slice the Chinese celery. Cut the cucumber in half lengthwise, then into thin slices.

In a large bowl mix together the papaya, Vietnamese mint, cucumber, Chinese celery, pickled carrots and tofu. Add nuoc mama cham sauce and shallot oil. Toss to coat evenly.

Transfer the salad on the plates and sprinkle with crushed roasted peanuts and fried shallots. Serve immediately with lime wedges on the side.

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ADDITIONAL RECIPES:

 * Pickled carrots

(For about 1/2 cup of pickled carrots)

• ½ cup julienned carrots
• ¼ tsp salt
• ¼ cup sugar
• ¼ cup white vinegar (5%)

In a bowl combine the vinegar, sugar and salt. Stir until sugar and salt dissolves.

Add the carrots to the mixture. Let it stand for about half an hour. Drain the carrots before serving.

 ** Nuoc mam cham sauce

(For about 180 ml of sauce)

• 4 tbsp fish sauce
• 2½ tbsp sugar
• 2 tbsp white vinegar (5%) or lime juice
• 4 tbsp water
• 1 garlic clove, crushed
• 1 red Thai chili pepper, finely chopped

In a small bowl mix together the fish sauce, sugar, vinegar (or lime juice) and water. Stir until the sugar dissolves. Add the garlic and chili. Give it a good stir.

Nuoc mam cham dipping sauce can be stored in an airtight container for up to a few days.

*** Fried shallots & shallot oil

(For 5 tbsp of fried shallots and 2 cups of shallot oil)

• 100 g Asian shallots
• 2 cups peanut oil

Cut the shallots into thin rings (1-2 mm). Pour in the oil to a small sauce pan and heat it up to 135^oC. Add the shallots, reduce the heat to medium/low and fry until golden, stirring from time to time. The shallots should be ready after 10-15 min. Using a slotted spoon takethe shallots out of the oil onto a paper towel. Shallots can be stored in an airtight container in the room temperature.

Set the oil aside and let it cool completely. Drain it through a muslin and transfer to a glass jar. Cover and store the oil in a fridge for up to a few weeks.

**** Roasted peanuts

Place the peanuts (in their red hulls) in a dry frying pan and roast them over a medium/low heat, stirring frequently. Once the hulls have cracked and the peanuts have become very fragrant and browned with black spots, transfer them to a bowl and leave to cool completely. Use the panuts according to recipes, as whole, crushed, pounded etc. Store the peanuts in a airtight container for up to a few weeks.