Time to upgrade your salad game with this Vietnamese-inspired seaweed mushroom salad!
It is super easy to make, PACKED with flavor and textures, and healthy! It is a bit sweet, a bit salty, and spicy with a subtle sea flavor. Let’ do this!
First, we start by sautéeing mushrooms until they become soft. Next, deglaze with a teaspoon of soy sauce for saltiness and flavor.
Next, we have the seaweed that is fried for a few seconds to give it a subtle toasted flavor. I recommend setting aside some of the fried seaweed to use as a topping for extra crispiness.
Combine the sautéed mushrooms, fried seaweed, thinly sliced tofu, raw carrots, cucumber, and some banana flower for a mix of textures. If you cannot find banana flower, feel free to use mung bean sprouts!
For the dressing (which is oil-free!), simply combine lime juice, soy sauce, and maple syrup in a small bowl. Add chopped garlic and chili, and you are ready to go.
May I suggest throwing in some roasted peanuts for extra crunch? Now you have the most delicious salad ever!
This is probably one of my favorite salad, the mushrooms combined with the toasted seaweed and the sweet and spicy dressing make this salad incredibly flavorful. If you are looking for something different from your basic green salad, I highly recommend you give this one a try!
Let me know in the comments if you try this recipe!
Seaweed, Mushroom & Tofu Salad
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp oil
- 3 cups sliced mushrooms I used oyster mushrooms
- 1 tsp soy sauce
- 1 and 1/2 sheet of nori cut into 2-inch pieces
- 1 small carrot cut into matchsticks
- 1 piece of fried tofu thinly sliced
- 1/2 cup banana flower or use mung bean sprouts
- 1/2 cucumber thinly sliced into ribbons, or spiralized
- 6-8 leaves Thai basil
Dressing
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- 2 tbsp lime juice
- 2 tbsp maple syrup (or sugar)
- 1 clove of garlic minced
- 1 small chili minced
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Once hot, add the mushrooms and sautée for 5-7 minutes, or until cooked. Add the teaspoon of soy sauce and stir to combine. Cook for one more minute. Remove from heat and let it cool.
- In a small saucepan, heat about 3 tbsp of oil over medium heat. Once hot, add a few squares of the seaweed sheet and fry for 10-15 seconds. Remove from the oil and place on a plate lined with kitchen paper towel to remove excess oil. Repeat with the remaining nori sheet pieces.
- Prepare the dressing: in a small bowl, combine the soy sauce, lime juice, maple syrup, minced garlic and chili.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the sautéed mushrooms, fried seaweed, carrots, tofu, banana flower, cucumber, and basil leaves. Pour in the dressing and stir to coat.
- Serve at room temperature, or chilled for about 2 hours. This salad is best served the same day but will keep for 2 days in the refrigerator.
SO freakin’ good.
I trotted around a few shops to get all the ingredients after work. I fluffed up the recipe a couple of times (had been a long day) and I worried about the raw carrot and garlic and that much maple syrup for me, but it was just delicious. Sweet, savoury, sour and fresh, I sat on my back doorstep in the quiet dusk and enjoyed every mouthful.
Thanks for sharing your feedback Eve, I’m super happy to hear you liked this salad! It’s a favorite here!