Dubu Salad (Korean Tofu Salad)

Signs of spring are all around! Have I ever told you all I love working in Washington, D.C.? The spring season makes D.C. especially enjoyable this time of year. The beautiful spring blossoms are everywhere. Right now, the abundant magnolia trees are in full bloom. Soon, the cherry blossoms will peak! To welcome spring, I made a simple spring salad with tofu. The most common way that Koreans eat tofu is to boil or pan-fry the tofu and serve with a soy dipping sauce, called yangnyumjang. The pan-fried version was introduced in my dubu jorim (braised tofu) recipe, in which, instead of braising, I gave the option to simply drizzle the sauce over the pan-fried tofu. Here, I made a boiled version. You can use any type of tofu for this dish. Typically, softer firm tofu is used for boiling and stews, while harder firm tofu is used for pan-frying and braising. The tofu and the sauce are usually all you need, but I like to add a spring salad mix to make the dish a little fancier and healthier. You can also use baby spinach, arugula, or any other salad vegetables. The good old Korean yangnymjang (soy dipping sauce) deliciously complements the nutty tofu and slightly peppery and bitter spring mix. I hope you add this Korean-style tofu salad to your spring salad list!

Ingredients:
1 package soft or silken firm tofu*

2 - 3 ounces spring salad mix

*Korean firm tofu comes in 3 variations, usually labeled on the package as firm (for pan-frying), soft (for stews), and silken (for eating fresh). Note the soft or silken types here are not the same as sundubu (uncurdled extra soft tofu). 

Sauce (Yangnyumjang):
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon rice wine (or mirin)
1 teaspoon sugar 
1 teaspoon sesame oil
2 teaspoons sesame seeds
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes (gochugaru)
1/2 teaspoon garlic
2 scallions chopped  

Mix all the sauce ingredients in a small bowl. Wash the spring mix and drain. In a medium size pot, bring about 4 cups of water to a boil and add the tofu. Cover and boil for 5 minutes over medium heat.

Carefully transfer the tofu to a colander to drain and cool. Cut the tofu into two blocks. Cut each block into about 1/2-inch thick slices. Arrange the tofu slices on a plate and add some spring mix on top. Drizzle the sauce over the dish when ready to serve.