Big Baby Bok Choy Salad

with Marinated Tofu

I’m proud to report that my chives are THRIVING. It’s practically a bush! This is year five of my chive plant, and I 100% recommend starting your own if you haven’t already. Because my plant was overflowing, I added chives to just about every part of this salad, but you can feel free to cut back on it if you can’t find as much.

I also somehow ended up with a huge amount of bok choy, so I decided to use up all the chives and the baby boks in one big salad. It’s so crunchy, so refreshing, and so different from the salads I usually make. Because I always have cucumbers in the fridge, I cut them into little half moons to match the bok choy, and then whisked together a dressing with mostly pantry ingredients. Minced ginger is such a great time saver here—if you aren’t in the mood to peel or grate ginger, it’s easily scoopable and something you can always keep in the fridge.

You’ll notice the ingredients for the marinade and the dressing are super similar—I started by thinking I’d marinate the tofu in the dressing, but then realized that wouldn't give me enough liquid to do both. I ended up adding more ingredients to the tofu marinade. The final result was SO delicious and worth the effort—just like I knew it’d be. Now how do I get this on a menu somewhere?

Here’s what else is on the menu for paid subscribers this week:

• Braised Spatchcock Chicken

• Chopped Arugula Salad with Protein

Bok Choy Salad with Marinated Tofu

What You’ll Need

• Sharp Knife

• Mixing Bowls

• Citrus Juicer

• Microplane

Big Baby Bok Choy Salad

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Ingredients

For the dressing

• Juice of 2 lemons

• ¼ cup chopped chives

• 2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil

• ¼ cup olive oil

• 1 tablespoon rice vinegar

• 3 tablespoons tamari or soy sauce

• 2 garlic cloves, grated

• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

• 1 teaspoon salt

• ¼ teaspoon black pepper

• 1” knob fresh ginger, grated

• 1 teaspoon honey

• 1 tablespoon sesame seeds, plus more to garnish

For the tofu 

• 2 blocks extra firm tofu

• 2 tablespoons tamari or soy sauce

• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

• 1 teaspoon salt

• 3 tablespoons avocado oil

• ¼ teaspoon black pepper

• 1” knob fresh ginger, grated

• 3 garlic cloves, grated

For the salad

• 6 heads baby bok choy

• 6 mini cucumbers 

• ½ bunch scallions

• 1 bunch chives

Directions

1. Start by whisking together the dressing. Whisk together the lemon juice, chives, sesame oil, olive oil, rice vinegar, tamari, garlic cloves, mustard, salt, pepper, ginger, and honey. 

2. Press the tofu with a tea towel to remove the excess moisture. Chop the blocks into 1” cubes and add to a large bowl.

3. Pour about 1/2 cup of the dressing over the tofu, then add the tamari, mustard, salt, avocado oil, pepper, ginger, and garlic. Stir well to get everything coated. 

4. Transfer the tofu to the air fryer or let marinate for 15-20 minutes to soak up the flavor before cooking.

5. Air fry at 400°F for 30 minutes, until golden and crisp, stirring about halfway through. (You can also cook it in the oven—line a baking sheet with parchment paper and cook at 420°F for 35-40 minutes.) 

6. While the tofu cooks, chop and wash the baby bok choy, cucumbers, green onions, and chives. Add them to a large bowl.

7. To serve, pour the remaining dressing over the salad mix well to combine. Top with the tofu and garnish with sesame seeds. Save any leftover tofu to put in a bowl!

• If you’re allergic to sesame, you can substitute another nut oil or a neutral oil (like avocado oil) and leave out the sesame seeds.

• Swap baby bok choy with regular bok choy or Napa cabbage (or even green cabbage) if you can’t find it. Mini cukes can be swapped with 1 English cucumber, but you might want to remove some of the seeds.