Ingredients
- 1/3 cup Corn Oil
- 3 tablespoons Sesame Oil
- 3 tablespoons Soy Sauce
- 3 tablespoons Rice Vinegar
- 1 tablespoon Distilled White Vinegar
- 1/4 pound Chinese Long Bean
- 1/4 cup Cilantro lightly packed
- 1 tablespoon Ginger Root finely shredded
- 16 ounces Organic Tofu (use Extra Firm Tofu)
- 1 1/2 cup Vegetable Oil
- 1/4 pound Lotus Root
- 4 Organic Leaf Lettuce or Red Leaf Lettuce
- 8 sprigs Cilantro cut crosswise into 1 inch wide slices
- 1 small Fresno Chile, minced, optional
- 8 Radish stemmed seeded and slivered
Directions
Combine corn oil, sesame oil, soy sauce, and vinegars in a small jar with a tight fitting lid. Shake well to blend and set aside.
Cut the long beans into 1 inch pieces. Bring a small saucepan of water to a boil. Add the beans and boil 2 minutes. Drain and rinse immediately with cold water. Drain and cool.
Combine the beans, bean sprouts, cilantro leaves, and ginger in a large bowl. Shake the jar of dressing, then add 1/3 cup of dressing to the vegetables and toss lightly to mix. Cover and refrigerate 1 - 2 hours.
Drain the tofu and pat dry. Cut into 3/4 - 1 inch thick slices. Heat the vegetable oil in a wok to 360°F or until a 1 inch bread cube turn golden brown in 60 seconds. Carefully lower the tofu slices into the oil and fry until lightly browned on each side, about 8 minutes total, turning once. Fry in batches if necessary to avoid overcrowding, which lowers the temperature of the oil. Drain on paper towels and cool. Cut into 1/2 inch thick slices.
Peel the lotus root with a potato peeler and cut into very thin slices, approximately 16.
For each serving, place 1/4 of the lettuce on the lower half of a large plate. Fan 1/4 of the tofu slices on the lettuce. Arrange the cilantro sprigs on either side. Drain the vegetable mixture, and add the chile just before serving (optional). Spoon 1/4 of the vegetables above the lettuce. Surround with 4 lotus root slices and 1/4 of the radish slices. Spoon some of the remaining dressing over each salad.
