If you think that vegan food falls short in the taste department, get ready to be pleasantly surprised. As our trusty WA Members know, each month we not only send out delicious wines, but make sure they go out with custom recipes to enable the perfect pairings! Whip up this salad and pair it with none other than the 2014 Banyan Gewürztraminer for a delightfully green afternoon.
Dressing Ingredients
2 tablespoons regular (light) soy sauce
2 tablespoons dark soy sauce
1 tablespoon unseasoned rice vinegar
2 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons Sriracha hot chili sauce
Salad Ingredients
1 green papaya
1 carrot
3/4 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
6 ounces brown pressed tofu, cut into matchsticks
1/4 cup Thai basil or regular basil leaves, cut into ribbons
1/3 cup unsalted roasted peanuts, coarsely chopped
Preparation
For the dressing, combine all of the ingredients, stirring until the sugar dissolves. Let rest for 15 minutes to build flavor.
Peel and shred papaya and carrot in to 3/16 inch wide and about 3 inches long pieces.
Add the sugar and 1 1/2 teaspoons of the salt, and use both hands to massage the sugar and salt vigorously into the vegetables. After a few minutes, the vegetables will be a little slimy and limp yet still firm. At that point, rinse them under lots of cold running water to remove the salt and sugar.
Wring out excess moisture from the papaya and carrot in a nonterry dish towel. Do this 3 or 4 times. You want to extract enough water from the vegetables yet not completely crush it. Transfer to a large bowl.
Just before serving, add the tofu, Thai basil, and peanuts to the green papaya carrot and toss to distribute evenly. Toss with 3/4 of dressing, taste add add extra dressing as necessary.
