Crunchy Vietnamese Cabbage Salad With Pan-Seared Tofu

This salad is so good. I could eat it everyday. In fact, I will be. I made enough to last me for lunch for at least two more days. These flavors are sooo good. I think if you had to describe umami - one bite of this salad would do that perfectly. Umami /uːˈmɑːmi/, a savory taste, is one of the five basic tastes, together with sweet, sour, bitter and salty.

Ingredients:
3 1/2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 teaspoons light brown sugar
2 teaspoons Asian fish sauce
Zest and juice of 1 lime
1/2 jalapeño, seeded and minced
1 garlic clove, minced
4 tablespoons peanut oil
1/2 pound extra-firm tofu, cut into slabs, 3/4 inch thick
6 cups shredded cabbage
1 large carrot, grated
1/3 cup coarsely chopped roasted, salted peanuts, plus more to serve
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro, plus more to serve.

Make it:
To make vinaigrette, whisk together 2 tablespoons soy sauce, brown sugar, 1 1/2 teaspoons fish sauce, lime zest and juice, jalapeño and garlic. Whisk in 3 tablespoons peanut oil.

Pat the tofu dry with paper towels. Heat the remaining 1 tablespoon peanut oil in a large skillet, preferably nonstick. When it shimmers, add the tofu. Cook 3 minutes without moving, until golden brown on the bottom. Flip and cook 2 minutes more. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate. In a small bowl, whisk together the remaining 1 1/2 tablespoons soy sauce and 1/2 teaspoon fish sauce. Move the tofu to a cutting board, and brush both sides of each slice generously with this mixture. Cut tofu into bite-size pieces.

In a large bowl, toss together tofu, cabbage, carrot, peanuts, cilantro and vinaigrette. Garnish with more peanuts and cilantro. Yield: 4 servings.