To hpu gyaw salad (Burmese fried tohu salad)

Following my promise to provide uses for for Burmese Tohu recipe I posted the other day, here's a light and easy salad that's perfect for summer. If you hate lettuce then you have the option of omitting it and dipping the fried tofu pieces in the dressing and sauce on their own. Despite the dull look of this salad, however, the dressing flavours are bold and the crunchy texture of the lettuce is a nice contrast to the soft chickpea cubes.

Recipe notes

Like most of my recipes, there's room for measurements to be a little bit off. Like I threw a whole lot of lettuce on the floor, but the salad did not self-combust as a result and anyway everything was cool since my cat cleaned the floor with his face.

Shredded Salad with Sweet and Sour Sriracha Sauce, Fried Burmese Tofu, and Funky Tomato Relish

Serves one as a meal or 3-4 as a starter

Funky Tomato Relish Ingredients
- ½ teaspoon peanut or vegetable oil
- ½ teaspoon chilli oil
- 1 clove garlic, finely minced
- 80 grams (about ⅓ cup) finely diced ripe san marzano or cherry tomatoes
- ½ teaspoon tomato paste
- ½ teaspoon sugar
- pinch of salt
- Freshly grated black pepper
- ½ teaspoon vegan fish sauce (soy based only - if sugar and/or vinegar are an ingredient, use a Thai brand thin soy sauce such as Healthy Boy).

Salad Ingredients
- 1 cube fermented white bean curd (approx 7-8 grams)
- 15 grams (1 tablespoon) sugar
- 20 millilitres (1 tablespoon) white vinegar
- 1 teaspoons Thai seasoning sauce
- ½ teaspoon sriracha (or more to taste)
- 200 grams (7 ounces) Burmese tofu, cut into approximate 2 centimetre pieces
- Vegetable or peanut oil, for frying
- About 150 grams (3 cups or so) shredded crunchy lettuce leaves
- Small handful julienned carrots
- Small handful or ¼ cup fresh coriander
- Diced onion, tomato, etc…

Directions/Method
1. First make the tomato relish. Heat a small saucepan to medium heat and add the oils (use 100% one or the other if you'd like). Fry the garlic for 30 seconds to 1 minute until fragrant (but not brown) and add the tomatoes, tomato paste, sugar, a pinch of salt, and a grating or two of black pepper. Simmer for about 10 minutes, until the sauce has thickened, and add the faux fish sauce or soy sauce. Remove from heat and set aside.
2. For the sweet and sour sriracha salad dressing, mash the fermented bean curd in a small bowl and combine with sugar, vinegar, seasoning sauce, and sriracha, stirring until all the sugar dissolves (that handy mortar and pestle will make it super smooth).
3. Heat at least one inch of oil in a wok or high sided pan to medium high heat. Fry the chickpea tofu pieces for 2-4 minutes, until they begin to show some light brown spots and develop a crispy skin (fry for longer if you want an even dryer and crispier end result). Be careful not to overcrowd the pan (if you do the heat of the oil will drop and the tohu will turn to mush), so fry in two smaller batches if necessary.
4. Drain on a tempura rack, kitchen roll, or brown paper bags while you prepare the salad.
5. Toss the lettuce, carrot, coriander, and any other salad ingredients together in a medium bowl. Mix the dressing thoroughly through. Serve with the fried Burmese tofu (to hpu gyaw) on top. Drizzle with funky tomato relish and serve.