Cold-Dressed Spiced Tofu Strips (Liang Ban Dou Gan Si)

Why people make this dish

Cold-dressed tofu strip salads are a classic Cantonese cold platter — the kind of dish that looks impressive, tastes bright and satisfying, and comes together in under half an hour. Home-made is cleaner and fresher, and the ingredients are easy to find at any Asian grocer: a block of pressed tofu, some Chinese celery, a few peppers, and a carrot. The result is crisp, fragrant from the sesame oil, colourful, and satisfying. It makes an excellent light side dish alongside a soup or a bowl of rice.

Pressed spiced tofu (dou gan) has a firm, chewy texture that holds up beautifully when sliced into fine strips. The trick Nourilo shares is blanching the tofu in water with a tiny pinch of baking soda, which makes the strips noticeably softer and more pleasant to eat.