Bai Ye Tofu Salad

Other Information

- Recipe Owner: Courtesy of Aunty Lilian
- Preparation Time: 50 minutes (ingredients)
- Cooking Time: 10 minutes 
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Serves: 6 - 8 adults


Ingredients

- Bai Ye (百页) Tofu - 1 packet
- Japanese Cucumber - 4 pieces
- Carrot - 2 pieces
- Big Red Chilli - 1 piece
- Parsley - 1 bunch
- Plum Sauce / Paste - 3 tablespoons
- Rice Vinegar - 4 tablespoons
- Thai Fish Sauce - 2 tablespoons
- Sugar - 2 tablespoon heap (like a small hill, instead of an even level)

 
Preparation

01. Bai Ye Tofu Preparation - Slicing: Open up and slice into half, stack both halves and cut into thin strips of 1cm width, width may varies depending on your preference.

02. Bai Ye Tofu Preparation - Peeling: Peel the layered strips into individual strips. This is the most tedious and time consuming part of all the preparations. 

03. Cucumber Preparation - Slicing: Cut of 2cm of each ends of the cucumber, shred the first layer of cucumber away and discard. Shred the cucumber into thin slices using a shredder. Each strip should be ideally 5cm long, length may varies depending on your preference. Repeat action for all 4 cucumbers.

04. Cucumber Preparation - Salute: Put 2 teaspoon of salt into the cucumber shreds and mix evenly. Allow some time for the cucumber to rest and drain away the excess cucumber water thereafter. 

05. Carrot Preparation - Slicing: Cut of 2cm of each ends of the carrot, shred the first layer of carrot away and discard. Shred the carrot into thin slices using a shredder. Each strip should be ideally 5cm long, length may varies depending on your preference. Repeat action for all 2 carrots. 

06. Chilli Preparation - Slicing: Create an insertion along the chilli's length, remove the seeds and cut the chilli into thinner round slices. 

07. Parsley Preparation - Slicing: Cut them into 5cm slices.

08. Bean Sprout Preparation - Washing: Wash 0.5kg of bean sprouts and drain them.  

09. Bean Sprout Preparation - Scalding: Prepare a pot of boiling water and put bean sprouts into the pot after the water is boiling. After addition of bean sprouts, the water temperature will be lowered, so allow some time until the water begins to boil again. Ensure that all the bean sprouts are submerged in the boiling water. Remove bean sprout when it has been slightly cooked (not over cooked - soft texture or under cooked - hard texture and raw taste). 

10. Bean Sprout Preparation - Cooling: Drain and wash bean sprouts. If it has been over cooked, it is necessary to wash with cold water to stop it from cooking further.

11. Tofu Preparation - Scalding: Prepare a pot of boiling water, add 1 teaspoon of salt into boiling water and put tofu into the pot after the water is boiling. After addition of tofu, the water temperature will be lowered, so allow some time until the water begins to boil again. Ensure that all the tofu are submerged in the boiling water, stir occasionally to ensure that all tofu is boiled evenly. Remove tofu when it has been slightly cooked. 

12. Tofu Preparation - Cooling: Drain and wash tofu. If necessary, wash with cold water to prevent tofu from sticking together.

13. Sauce Preparation - Mixing: Add 3 tablespoon of plum sauce / paste. Add 4 tablespoons of rice vinegar. Add 2 tablespoons of Thai fish sauce (thai fish sauce is found to be more fragrant than the chinese fish sauce, you may use chinese fish sauce if you prefer). Add 2 tablespoons heap (like a small hill, instead of an even level) of sugar. Stir to mix all the sauces until it becomes evenly liquified.

14. Assembling & Serving: Add bean sprout as the base / first layer. Add tofu as the next / second layer. Add carrots as the next / third layer. Add cucumber (if there are any excess liquid, drain off first) as the next / fourth layer. Add chilli and parsley as the final / top layer as garnish. Drizzle sauce over when ready to consume. Toss evenly and bon appetite!!