World’s Easiest Tofu “Tuna” Salad
Yesterday, we had a spontaneous guest for lunch, so I made what I usually do for these occasions—my world famous (well, locally famous) Tofu “Tuna” Salad. This amazing concoction consists of all of three ingredients: Soy Boy Tofu Lin, vegan mayonnaise, and diced celery. If you want to get fancy, add some minced scallion or chives, and a touch of curry powder. It takes about 3 minutes to make and everyone loves it.
A few years ago, doing a booksigning for The Vegetarian 5-Ingredient Gourmet at a local bookstore, I brought and served a few spreads from the book with breads and crackers. A few women insisted that I should make the above spread to sell. “But,” I protested, “anyone can make this. It has only three ingredients.” No matter. They pressed the issue, predicting that I would make a fortune. Well, I really doubt that. And I don’t really want to make my living smooshing tofu. Still, I was concerned. Are people so busy (or lazy) that they won’t even try making something with three ingredients?
One note, for this to come out really well, you do need to use Soy Boy Tofu Lin, a kind of baked tofu that is very flavorful but softer than other varieties of baked tofu like White Wave (which are delicious for stir-fries, salads, or wraps). It comes in cellophane packages and is available in most any natural foods store.
This recipe is adapted from The Vegetarian 5-Ingredient Gourmet.
“Tuna”-Style Tofu Salad
6 servings
- One 10-ounce package Soy Boy Tofu Lin (baked tofu)
- 1/2 cup vegan mayonnaise
- 1 large celery stalk, finely diced
- 1 scallion, minced, optional
- 1/2 teaspoon curry powder, or to taste, optional
Using your hands, crumble the tofu finely in a serving bowl. Add the remaining ingredients, mix well, and serve.
Anjelica said,
June 11, 2006 @ 7:15 pm
I always love making this recipe (I LOVE YOUR COOKBOOK!) but something I like making even more is tofu “egg” salad. That is simply delicious, I like putting capers, celery, mustard, tofu mayo, nutritional yeast and a little curry powder, mix it up, and it’s good to go!
Nava said,
June 11, 2006 @ 7:38 pm
Thanks, Anjelica, and I’m glad you made the distinction between this and the “egg salad” style tofu salad. For that, I like to use firm tofu. I have never used nutrional yeast in that kind, but I have some in the fridge, so I’m going to try it. Capers, though, are a different story, one of those foods that people either adore—or not.
Mimerki said,
June 11, 2006 @ 10:07 pm
Heh. I just made a batch of tempeh salad this afternoon and found myself looking at the tofu “tuna” salad recipe in Vegetariana while I was deciding what to add.
Mary said,
June 12, 2006 @ 6:22 am
What kind of mayo do you use? Homemade, Veganaise, Nayonaise…? Thanks, I really want to try this.
Nava said,
June 12, 2006 @ 7:43 am
That’s funny about looking at the recipe in Vegetariana. When I wrote the book, and even when I revised it in the early 90s, baked tofu was not widely available, so I took regular tofu, froze it, thawed it, and squeezed out the water, which is a technique used to change the texture from mushy and moist to drier and more crumbly. I doubt I would ever do this again; why bother?
I have a “tofu tuna” variant in several of my books. I guess this is because tuna was the last thing I gave up before I went veg.
To answer Mary, I use Nayonaise, but Vegenaise would work just as well.
Teddy said,
June 12, 2006 @ 8:54 am
This looks great. Fish is also the last thing i gave up. I still kind of miss it today. I’m going to try this out and see if it helps! Is Soy Boy tofu common? I’ve never heard of it.
Teddy
Nava said,
June 12, 2006 @ 9:25 am
I’ve seen Soy Boy baked tofu everywhere. They make a few varieties, including smoked flavored, which I have in the fridge right now and haven’t used yet. If your natural foods store doesn’t stock it, they would probably special order it for you. Make sure to specify Tofu Lin!
Anjelica said,
June 13, 2006 @ 12:34 pm
I am going to try making a vegan mayo soon. I’ve seen recipes for it before, but just have not gotten around to making it. The recipe is from http://www.veganchef.com/
1 - 12.3 oz. pkg. Mori-Nu silken style tofu, firm or extra firm
1 T. cider vinegar
1 T. lemon juice
1 T. Dijon mustard
1 T. unbleached cane sugar
1/2 t. salt
1/3 cup olive oil, grapeseed oil, or other vegetable oil of choice
In a food processor, place all of the ingredients, except the olive oil, and process for 2 minutes to form a smooth puree. While the machine is running, drizzle in the olive oil, and continue to process an additional 2-3 minutes or until light and creamy. Taste and adjust seasonings, as needed to suit personal tastes and usage. Transfer to an airtight container and store in the refrigerator for 7-10 days. Use measure-for-measure in place of commercially made mayonnaise in your favorite recipes.
Yield: 2 Cups
Nava said,
June 13, 2006 @ 1:55 pm
This sounds like a good mayo recipe. And I do love Chef Beverly Bennett, the Vegan Chef. There are lots of good recipes on her site. I especially love her baked goods.
Teddy said,
June 13, 2006 @ 8:51 pm
thanks for the tips!
teddy
Terry said,
June 20, 2006 @ 4:17 pm
Just tried the “Tuna” style tofu salad for lunch. It’s terrific! Can’t wait to share this with friends.
Incidentally, here’s some nutritional information for those interested. The size of the Tofu Lin package is actually 10 oz rather than 8 oz. While this baked marinated tofu is still smaller than a regular sized blocks of tofu, the number of servings (5) and protein content (11 grams per serving) in this product are about the same as firm regular tofu. The serving size of 2 oz. has about 70-92% of the protein in 2 oz. servings of tuna fish in commercial cans, which run between 12-16gr.
Lori said,
June 20, 2006 @ 5:42 pm
Nava,
Any other suggestions for the tofu? I would LOVE to try this, but none of our local natural foods markets carry or are able to order the Soy Boy brand tofu. Any other suggestions? I would love to give this a try!
Thanks!
Nava said,
June 20, 2006 @ 5:47 pm
Terry, Thanks for the comment re: nutritional data. And you’re right, the packages are 10 ounces, not 8, so I made the correction on the post.
Lori, I’m just not sure what you can use instead of Soy Boy; you could give it a try with the White Wave baked tofu, teriyaki flavor, and rinse off some of the sauce. It would yield a slightly smaller quantity, as those really are 8 ounces, and the resulting texture might be a bit firmer and chewier. It may not be bad though, and I don’t think you’d risk too much by giving it a try. Let me know if it works!
Becky said,
July 3, 2006 @ 8:20 am
I use a box grater instead of crumbling the Tofu Lin up with my fingers. This technique might make a better consistancy if you had to use one of the ‘harder’ baked tofu brands. This salad and variations of it are my favorite lunch! My children, 4 yrs. and 1 year eat it. My husband ate it until I told him it was tofu and not tunafish - such is life with a stubborn meat eater.