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Asian-Style Kale Salad with Brown Rice and Smoked Tofu
Elle

Asian-Style Kale Salad with Brown Rice and Smoked Tofu

5 from 2 votes
A healthy Tuscan kale salad tossed in a simple and delicious Asian-style dressing. It's an easy to prepare and flavorful salad that's bound to become your new winter favorite! This salad is naturally vegan and gluten-free. Serves 2 as a hearty main or 4 as a side.
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Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 40 minutes
Total Time 50 minutes
Servings: 4
Course: Salad
Cuisine: Asian
Calories: 461

Ingredients
  

For the salad:
  • 3/4 cup brown short grain rice 150g
  • 1 bunch of Tuscan lacinto kale, stemmed and torn into bite sized pieces (about 6 handfuls)
  • 1/2-1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
  • Pinch of sea salt
  • 1 x 200 g package smoked tofu, cubed (see tips below)
  • Sesame seeds, to garnish
For the dressing:
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 1/2 tablespoon ginger, minced
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons unseasoned rice vinegar (Japanese)
  • 1 1/2 tablespoon soy sauce
  • 3 tablespoons toasted sesame oil

Instructions
 

  1. In a medium saucepan cook rice in double the amount of water for 35-40 minutes (according to package instructions). Set aside for 5 minutes, covered, then fluff with a fork.
  2. Once the rice is halfway cooked, massage the kale with the olive oil and salt, until all the leaves are well coated and kale starts to soften and wilt, 2-3 minutes (a little longer if using curly kale). Let this mixture “marinate” for 15 minutes, so the kale leaves have extra time to soften.
  3. In a small bowl, whisk together the dressing ingredients until well combined.
  4. Pour the dressing over the marinated kale, toss to combine. Add the rice and tofu, toss well. Sprinkle with sesame seeds as garnish. Serve warm or at room temperature. Enjoy!

Nutrition

Calories: 461kcal

Notes

  • For this recipe, you can also use a mix of curly kale, redbor kale, and Tuscan lacinato kale. I recommend Taifun smoked tofu with almonds and sesame seeds. It's my absolute favorite. You can find it in organic food stores.
  • I prefer Japanese rice vinegar since it is not as strong as the Chinese produced vinegars. Look for it in your local Asian supermarket.
    Unseasoned rice vinegar (Japanese) can be found in Asian food stores. It's usually with the sushi ingredients. I only use the brand OTAFUKU (KOKUMOTSU SU). You can also find this online and in some larger REWE supermarkets.
  • Roasted sesame oil is also a staple in many of my salads recipes. Look for a high-quality oil. My favorite are from La Tourangelle and Bio Planete. These are only used in salads, since they are heat sensitive. For cooking, I use regular sesame oil, which is suitable for high-heat frying and stir-frying.

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