Vietnamese-Inspired Cabbage Salad With Tofu
Updated Aug. 30, 2025
- Total Time
- 30 minutes
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
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Ingredients
- 3½tablespoons soy sauce
- 2teaspoons light brown sugar
- 2teaspoons Asian fish sauce
- Zest and juice of 1 lime
- ½jalapeño, seeded and minced
- 1garlic clove, minced
- 4tablespoons peanut oil
- ½pound extra-firm tofu, cut into slabs, ¾ inch thick
- 6cups shredded cabbage
- 1large carrot, grated
- ⅓cup coarsely chopped roasted, salted peanuts, plus more to serve
- 2tablespoons chopped cilantro, plus more to serve
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)
290 calories; 22 grams fat; 4 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 10 grams monounsaturated fat; 7 grams polyunsaturated fat; 16 grams carbohydrates; 5 grams dietary fiber; 7 grams sugars; 11 grams protein; 1093 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
- Step 1
To make vinaigrette, whisk together 2 tablespoons soy sauce, brown sugar, 1½ teaspoons fish sauce, lime zest and juice, jalapeño and garlic. Whisk in 3 tablespoons peanut oil.
- Step 2
Pat the tofu dry with paper towels. Heat the remaining 1 tablespoon peanut oil in a large skillet, preferably nonstick. When it shimmers, add the tofu. Cook 3 minutes without moving, until golden brown on the bottom. Flip and cook 2 minutes more. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate. In a small bowl, whisk together the remaining 1½ tablespoons soy sauce and ½ teaspoon fish sauce. Move the tofu to a cutting board, and brush both sides of each slice generously with this mixture. Cut tofu into bite-size pieces.
- Step 3
In a large bowl, toss together tofu, cabbage, carrot, peanuts, cilantro and vinaigrette. Garnish with more peanuts and cilantro.
Private Notes
Comments
Nice and crunchy. For the amount of cabbage, I would suggest adding the full 1 lb. pkg of tofu. It will be well incorporated. Just double the sauce for the tofu.
I added a used sesame oil instead of peanut oil because it's what I had on hand. Also added a little bit of peanut butter and sambal oelek and sprinkled with sesame seeds. Delicious!
Delicious! I've made this twice and served this over softened pad thai noodles. A big hit in my house with kids and grown-ups alike.
Made this as per the recipe, though I doubled the dressing, and thought it was the perfect warm weather dinner.
This is an outstanding recipe. The first time I forgot to get a lime, so I just used lemon juice and it was great. My second attempt was even better, with the lime juice and zest. I used red pepper flakes instead of jalapeno. It's excellent for lunch the next day, too! (I brought some cilantro to sprinkle on top for lunch.) Definitely a keeper. BTW, I didn't grate the cabbage, I just sliced it thinly.
I enjoyed this even more the second day. The suggestion of using 1/2 lb of tofu seems a little crazy to me. Just use the whole dang package. You won't regret it.