I was looking for something to do with walnuts when I came across Muhammara. Muhammara is a roasted red pepper and toasted walnut dip. It's traditionally made from Aleppo peppers in Aleppo, Syria. However, I have opted for more easily accessible habaneros!
The end result is a savory dip that resembles baba ghanoush or hummus. It's absolutely delicious. And I've been trying to see how many things that I can eat it with: with pita, over eggs, in burritos.
And it suddenly dawned on me... Tofu steak salad!
I don't know why I didn't think of this sooner. I have a plethora of tomatoes and peppers ripening in the garden and I always have more lettuce in the summer than I ever know what to do with! Also, fried tofu is absolutely delectable. Not to mention that you don't have to feel guilty about frying the main course when everything else in the recipe is a salad!
Out of everything that I've made with Muhammara, this has to be my favorite recipe! It's a Mediterranean-inspired tofu steak salad that's topped with Muhammara Dip, cherry tomatoes, banana peppers, and walnuts. The toasted walnuts and the lemon pairs perfectly with the fried tofu and lightness of the salad.
The best part about making tofu steak salads is also how incredibly simple they are to make. It looks like you put a lot of work into it, but at the end of the day you're really just assembling a salad!
You can also easily swap out any of the vegetables for what you have around the house or what's in season at the grocery store. I also oftentimes mix up the protein that I use. You can make these types of salads with anything from tofu or eggs to salmon or other steaks.
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Variations of Tofu Steak Salad
I am a big fan of fried tofu. I almost always have some in my fridge! Sometimes I'll cook some up just to be able to easily toss into burritos or in salads. Other times I'll fry it up in curries or as scrambled egg substitutes.
If you enjoy this recipe or are looking for some more tofu salad inspiration, here are some more recipes to check out.
This Mediterranean-inspired tofu steak salad is topped with cherry tomatoes, banana peppers, toasted walnuts, and Muhammara. Muhammara is a Middle Eastern dip made from red peppers and walnuts. The recipe resembles baba ghanoush or hummus and pairs exceptionally well with tofu and in salads.
2tsp.lemon juice(2 tbsp. pomegranate molasses are more traditional)
dashsalt
dashpepper
1/2c.bread crumbs
Salad
2tbsp.muhammara
7oz.extra firm tofu(~1/2 container)
2tbsp.high heat oil
1/2c.lettuce, chopped
10cherry tomatoes, halved
1banana pepper, diced
1 ½tbsp.walnuts, toasted and diced
dashsalt
dashpepper
Instructions
Prepare Mahummara
Prepare the Muhammara. This recipe takes less than an hour and requires an oven or something to cook in, like an air fryer or barbecue, and a food processor. It is predominantly made from roasted red peppers and toasted walnuts.You can easily substitute hummus or any other dip of choice.
Fry Tofu
Drain the tofu and wrap in paper towels to absorb the moisture.It's important to absorb as much water out of the tofu as you can. Oil is less dense than water, so the molecules repel one another. With cold ingredients, this causes separation. When you're frying, though, this can cause boiling hot oil to spray back at you.
Meanwhile, preheat oil in a cast iron skillet over medium-high heat.
When the skillet has preheated and the majority of the water has absorbed into the paper towels, carefully add the tofu to the skillet. Fry until golden brown. This should take about 2-4 minutes. Rotate until all sides are evenly fried.Remove from heat and wrap again in paper towels to absorb the excess oil.
Assemble Salad
Chop lettuce, halve cherry tomatoes, and dice banana peppers and walnuts. If you make muhammara dip for this recipe, reserve some of the extra walnuts for this.
Lay down a bed of lettuce and tofu. Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste. Top with muhammara dip, banana peppers, and walnuts. Add finishing salt and pepper.
Tips, Tricks, & Notes
For a more in-depth article on preparing tofu, check out my article on The Fundamentals of Fried Tofu. High heat oil and a precise cooking temperature are important to keep the tofu from drying out or burning.
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