cucumber crunch salad with tofu

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We are long overdue to talk about my favorite heat wave meal, one I’ve been holding out on you for five too many summers. As the president of Overthinkers Anonymous, I had my reasons. What if you’re not as obsessed with inhaling a pound of fridge-cold cucumbers as I am? What if the mere whiff of peanut sesame noodle dressing doesn’t make you want to climb into a vat of it? What if you don’t have a favorite salad tofu? Six question marks in a paragraph might be a record! This starts with a reduced portion of the peanut sesame noodle sauce I’ve been making since college, or 100 years ago “did they have cars back then?” according to my children. Whenever there’s leftovers, I happily toss them with any kind of raw vegetable, from grated carrots to shredded cabbage, but cucumbers are my go-to, especially topped with minced salted peanuts and scallion. But when I want it to feel like even more of a full meal, I add tofu, and if you can find firm silken tofu, which has silken’s smooth texture but holds its shape when sliced, it’s a pillowy dream here. Together these thick batons of cool tofu + crisp cucumbers + a heavenly dressing that does all the lifting + a layer of crunchy, salty, spicy stuff are the only thing I can consider eating when it’s this hot out. Maybe you’ll be converted too. Cucumber Crunch Salad with Tofu This is a riff on my favorite Peanut Sesame Noodles so check it out if you’re looking for more of a big meal. If you cannot find firm silken tofu, you can use silken tofu here but don’t bother cutting it into batons. Simply halve it crosswise into two thinner slabs and arrange them on your serving plate. Drizzle with the reserved dressing and heap the dressed cucumbers and crunchy toppings over it. When you scoop up the salad, scoop up the tofu as well. Dressing 4 tablespoons smooth peanut butter 2 tablespoons soy sauce 1 tablespoon unseasoned rice vinegar 1 1/2 teaspoons honey or brown sugar 1/2-inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled and minced or finely grated 1 small garlic clove, minced or finely grated 2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil Hot sauce, chili paste, or chili crisp to taste Water, if needed Assembly 1 14- to 16-ounce package persian cucumbers 5 to 6 1 scallion 3 tablespoons salted roasted peanuts, chopped small 1 package firm or extra-firm silken tofu usually a 10- to 12-ounce package Toasted black and white sesame seeds optional Make the dressing: Whisk all of the dressing ingredients together in a large bowl. It’s going to taste pretty salty and robust if you use regular soy sauce as I do but don’t fret, it’s going to taste much milder when tossed with the cucumbers. Remove 3 to 4 tablespoons of the dressing just eyeball it and place it in a smaller bowl. Whisk a little soy sauce or water into this smaller amount to thin it; we want this small amount pourable. Prepare the vegetables and tofu: Cut the cucumbers in half lengthwise, then each half three more times into long wedge-shaped pieces i.e. 6 long pieces per cucumber. Set aside. Remove the tofu from its package and pat dry with a paper towel. Cut it into a grid of rectangles the height of the tofu block see photo for reference. Assemble and serve: Arrange half of the tofu on a serving plate and drizzle with half of the reserved, thinned dressing. Repeat with remaining tofu, reserved dressing, and dressed cucumbers and finish with the scallion-peanut mixture. Drizzle or dot chili crisp or hot sauce over, and finish with toasted sesame seeds for extra crunch, if you wish. Eat right away.