Butter cauliflower and tofu salad
redefining the salad
Welcome to To Vegetables, With Love, a celebration of a vegetable life, less ordinary. ‘ Find archived recipes on my recipe index.
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I am happiest when blurring the lines.
I am both this and that. I am here and there. I am the definitely and the maybe. I am the past, the present and the future. I am very Chinese and also very Australian. I am an insider and an outsider. I am an alien. I am a local.
One third of my life has been spent living away from the country where I was born and raised. As a result, my sensibilities are a melting pot of the cultures I have experienced, the people I have lived amongst, and the flavours I have devoured. Sometimes it can feel like cultural confusion. Is it a brown onion or a yellow one? Is it rutabaga or a swede?
Perhaps the biggest thing I have realized about myself recently is that I am the most authentic when I’m being inauthentic. When I blur the lines, I am free to define the fluid person I want to be and the nebulous food that I want to cook.
For much of my career in food, I have been firmly committed to blurring the lines about what constitutes a salad. In truth, the possibilities of salad are limitless, and this dish will go as far as you want to take it. My newly announced cookbook LINGER is an excellent example of this. Some recipes take on the classic salad form, but others are going to surprise you. I push the boundaries of how we should think about salad and I challenge preconceived notions of what goes with what. There are familiar flavours, remixed. Readers of this newsletter, you will enjoy LINGER very much. If you missed the announcement, catch up about the book and US preorder bonus here and below.
This week’s salad smudges the lines too. It could just be served as a warm dish with rice and if you choose to eat it this way, you are free to. By design, it is a salad largely made on a baking sheet. The foundational inspiration was tofu makhani (Indian butter tofu) which I decided to remix into a salad featuring cauliflower and chickpeas. There’s no distinct dressing here, which is unusual, even for me. The flavour comes from the spiced yoghurt marinade in which the cauliflower and tofu wallow. Onions, garlic, ginger and chilies sizzle in butter or ghee, providing a rich, silky element. Freshness comes from torn kale leaves which are softened when added to the warm cauliflower and tofu. It’s finished with coriander/cilantro leaves for an herbal note, and as much olive oil as you like.
It’s a salad less ordinary but nonetheless, still a salad.
This week, I announced that my new cookbook LINGER will be released in the Fall. It is my FIRST EVER same season worldwide release. I’m so excited. There is about 6 weeks between the release of the Australian edition (26 August) and the US and International edition (7 October) but it is close and it will give me time to focus on each release….tour info etc coming soon.
In the meantime, you can preorder now! I know it is hard to think about preordering something that you will receive in 3 or 4 months time, but for authors, preorders are hugely important to show retailers that you want our books, it helps our books be more visible, and encourages stores to order more. From a personal point of view, I am always pushing for more visibility for my cookbooks and cookbooks like mine - cookbooks that are atypical (it’s not called 100 SALADS, for example), cookbooks that story-driven, and most importantly, cookbooks that redefine who can be an expert on a topic, and present a different POV on a subject traditionally owned by authors who don’t look like me.
PREORDER NOW
Everywhere else, it is also available, so google to find local retailers.
PRE-ORDER BONUS
Pre-order a copy of my new book LINGER (US EDITION) from one of the below retailers to receive a free 5” x 7” print of MISS SALAD, illustrated by artist Phthalo Ruth.
Each print will be individually numbered and signed by Hetty Lui McKinnon. All stores (with the exception of Binding Agents which offers local pick up for those in Philly!) offer shipping to anywhere in the United States.
This offer is available to US residents only. The free print is unframed.
Book Larder / Now Serving / Kitchen Arts and Letters / Archestratus / Bold Fork Books / Vivienne Culinary / Read It & Eat / Omnivore Books on Food / Binding Agents (local pickup in Philly only)
For newsletter subscribers outside of US: If you preordered LINGER outside of USA and are interested in receiving the limited edition exclusive 5 x 7 MISS SALAD print, please fill in this form, providing proof of purchase. I am looking at ways to get you your own print. This offer is available only to newsletter subscribers (FREE AND PAID) outside of US. If you’re in the US, you must preorder from one of the above cookbook stores!
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All NYT Cooking recipes have gift links:
Monday: This Herby Pearl Couscous and Sugar Snap Pea Salad is great for an easy start to the week and also meal prepping.
Tuesday: I’ve been seeing lots of copycats of this salad (one in a major publication), made with way less finesse. The joy of this Dumpling Tomato Salad With Chile Crisp Vinaigrette is its simplicity. This is the OG (and the best lol)
Wednesday: Many people mention this creamy vegan tofu noodles to me as their fave.
Thursday: Mushroom parm for the win.
Friday: One pot miso corn pasta
Butter cauliflower and tofu salad
© Hetty Lui McKinnon for To Vegetables, With Love.
serves 4
gluten free and vegan
A salad that can also be eaten warm, with rice. Kale can be replaced with spinach or mixed salad leaves.
Spiced yoghurt marinade
1 cup (225g) plain Greek or coconut yogurt
Juice of 1/2 lemon (about 2 tablespoons)
1 teaspoons ground turmeric
1 teaspoons ground cumin
2 teaspoons garam masala
sea salt and black pepper
Salad
1 medium head (about 900g / 2 pounds) cauliflower, trimmed and cut into florets
425g (16-ounces) extra firm tofu, cut into 2cm / 3/4-inch cubes
2 tablespoons ghee, unsalted butter or vegan butter
2 small onions (any color), peeled and diced
1 inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped
1/2 - 1 jalapeño or green chili pepper, thinly sliced
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 can (425g / 15 ounce) chickpeas, drained
extra virgin olive oil
1/2 lemon
85g / 3 ounces kale leaves (from about half bunch), torn
big handful coriander / cilantro leaves, torn
Whisk together the yogurt, lemon juice, turmeric, cumin, garam masala and 1 teaspoon of salt in a large bowl. Add the cauliflower and toss well to coat with the marinade. Add the tofu and gently toss - try to avoid breaking up the tofu. Cover, and refrigerate for 30 minutes or up to 24 hours.
Heat the oven to 425˚F/220˚C. Line a baking sheet with baking/parchment paper and transfer the cauliflower and tofu to it, spreading it out into a single layer. Drizzle generously with olive oil and roast for 20 minutes. Remove from the oven, give it a gentle toss and then reorganize into a single layer and return to the oven until the cauliflower is tender and everything is golden around the edges, another 15 to 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, place a small frying pan (skillet) on medium high heat. Add the ghee or butter and the onions and stir until softened, about 2 minutes. Reduce heat to medium and add the ginger, garlic, chili pepper, cumin seeds and 1/2 teaspoon of salt and stir until the onions are gently golden, 5 to 6 minutes. Remove from the heat. Add the chickpeas and toss them to coat (this flavours the chickpeas; we are not trying to heat them through). Add the remaining 2 tablespoons of lemon juice and season well with black pepper.
To the sheet pan with the hot caulifower and tofu, add the chickpea mixture along with the kale, half the coriander/cilantro, season with salt and black pepper and drizzle with olive oil. Toss to combine, allowing the residual heat soften the kale. To serve, scatter with remaining coriander leaves.
I also noticed a copycat version of your dumpling and tomato salad in a major publication and thought WHY would we ever attempt to improve upon perfection (and not give credit where credit is due)?! Thanks for a salad we return to again and again, and thanks for being you. <3
Hi Hetty, this salad sounds superb. India does a lot of cooked salads or dry vegetable side dishes aka poriyals, sundals. Most of these are lightly stir-fried to retain crunch & seasoned with minimal spices & interesting toppings like grated, fresh coconut.