Chile-Crisp Tofu, Tomatoes and Cucumbers

By Ali Slagle

Published July 9, 2024

Chile-Crisp Tofu, Tomatoes and Cucumbers
Rachel Vanni for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Barrett Washburne.
Total Time
30 minutes
Prep Time
10 minutes
Cook Time
20 minutes
Rating
5(321)
Notes
Read community notes

With cucumbers, tomatoes, browned tofu and a punchy dressing, this recipe’s combination of hot, cold, juicy and snappy makes for a refreshing lunch or light dinner. Inspired by Chinese smashed cucumber salads, many of which include dried chiles or chile oil, this recipe’s piquant and spicy dressing uses chile crisp as well as lemon juice, raw garlic and soy sauce. The only cooking that’s required is searing the tofu, which helps it drink up more of the dressing. Eat it over rice or salad greens, and feel free to embellish with thinly sliced snap peas or celery, cilantro and sesame oil, seeds or paste.

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Ingredients

Yield:2 servings
  • 2Persian or mini seedless cucumbers
  • 1pint cherry tomatoes, halved
  • 2tablespoons chile crisp, plus more to taste
  • 2tablespoons lemon juice
  • 1tablespoon soy sauce
  • 1garlic clove, grated
  • 2tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1(14- to 16-ounce) block extra-firm tofu, cut into ½-inch cubes and patted dry
  • Salt
  • Rice and/or salad greens, for serving
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (2 servings)

351 calories; 23 grams fat; 4 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 12 grams monounsaturated fat; 5 grams polyunsaturated fat; 21 grams carbohydrates; 5 grams dietary fiber; 8 grams sugars; 22 grams protein; 1184 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

  1. Step 1

    Smash the cucumbers with the side of your knife until ragged and split. Rip into roughly 1-inch pieces and transfer to a large bowl. Add the tomatoes, chile crisp, lemon juice, soy sauce and garlic and stir to combine. Set aside.

  2. Step 2

    Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high. Add the tofu, season with salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until golden brown, 7 to 10 minutes. Pour the tofu into the large bowl and stir to combine. Season to taste with salt and chile crisp, then serve right away or let sit for up to 2 hours. Leftovers keep for up to 2 days, though cucumbers will soften as they sit.

Ratings

5 out of 5
321 user ratings
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Cooking Notes

Rachel

I made this and it was a perfect summertime hit! The only change is that I fried up the tofu with garlic, ginger, soy sauce, rice vinegar, & sugar before adding to the salad, which gave this dish amazing depth. Served with rice and green beans. Will make again!

Kevin

The weight of the cucumbers doesn't matter--it's not like it's a baked good. Have enough in the salad that it looks like the right proportion for you.

Cathy

Delicious and so easy to make. The only change I made was adding a little ginger syrup to the dressing and it gave it the little something extra I was craving

Heather

I swapped olive oil for sesame oil and added a slash of black vinegar. Garnished with cilantro and sesame seeds. Great warm weather meal.

Anna K

made this per the recipe, with the exception of air frying the tofu. found it to be rather meh. added some ginger, sesame oil, and mirin to give it more depth of flavor. this improved it a bit. I like the idea of the recipe on a hot day so might try something similar using gochujang in place of the chili crisp

Sarah

Really simple and yummy. I used frozen then thawed tofu and it soaked up the sauce. Will definitely make this again with my garden Persian cukes and cherry tomatoes.

jmack

Perfect for summer and came together in minutes. Served with some left over rice and there is plenty left for lunch tomorrow. Followed the recipe and didn't find it lacking in flavor.

Megan

We really enjoyed this recipe. I followed the advice of another and fried the tofu with ginger, garlic, soy sauce, rice vinegar and a little bit of sugar. I also used rice vinegar instead of lemon juice because I forgot to buy, and added Mirin to the tomato mixture. Wonderful!

Mitchell Hymowitz

Easy to make and wonderful flavors.

Brian M

Since I was searing the tofu in a wok anyway, there was plenty of room to "burst" half of the cherry tomatoes for a couple of minutes, together with the garlic. This added a caramelized sweetness that doubled up on the tomato goodness.

RB

I was skeptical of the lemon juice after reading other comments, but it makes the dish SO GOOD. Do not skimp, omit, or substitute!

echoparksarah

Is there something pre-made I can buy at the store (like Sriracha) instead of making the chile crisp?

Rebecca

This was absolutely delicious. My tweaks: • Air fry tofu (corn starch, soy sauce, nutritional yeast, garlic powder, S&P) for a perfect crisp • Add a diced avocado • Add butter beans

Laura G.

Still not at peak tomato season; meanwhile this recipe is a wonderful use of abundant cherry tomatoes and mini cukes. I used Fly By Jing chili crisp with several extra Tbsps at the “season with” step. The only change I'll make next time is to revert to form and bake rather than stir-fry the tofu—no mess, even browning, better texture. (And I did not use olive oil, which is weird for this flavor profile.)

Shottman

I mixed kale into the tofu/tomato/cucumber mixture for a lovely spicy salad.

W Daniel

it’s a fine recipe, i made some tweaks tho. after i crushed the cucumbers i salted them and put them to a colander for 15-20 minutes so it had time to drain it’s excess liquid. also i dumped the cut tofu cubes into cornstarch to coat them before frying so they become extra crispy.

Madhura

Made this and it was just okay. I found that the vegetables because very soggy very quick. Perhaps salting it ahead of time would help

Rae

This was yummy. As always a few changes, I didn’t have a lemon so I used a lime, more garlic is always better, and a chopped up avocado mixed in. And no extra olive oil, didn’t need it. Love to see all the different spins on it in the comments.

Peggy W

Would an oil like grapeseed or avocado be better instead of EVOO since you are cooking on high heat?

Laura G.

Yes. Also more sensible with the other flavors.

Doris Mare

Sounds great but I abhor tofu (and chicken thighs). Any ideas? I’m a long time cook & I enjoy Times Cooking for adding to my repertoire.

Laura G.

You could do some poached (or otherwise already cooked) chicken breast. Or cubed roasted or stir fried eggplant.

MyRagTimeDoll

this was great with quinoa I do suggest you start with a bit less chili crisp as you can always add more - as written it is pretty zippy

brad edwards

A fun meal, will repeat. Next time will add little dishes of sauce on the side.

Adriaq

Loved this! I thought it needed some “green” flavor and garnished with some chopped basil—highly recommended!

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