Hot cauliflower, cold salad, whipped tofu underneath

Name: Hot cauliflower, cold salad, whipped tofu underneath
Total time: 35 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Chinese
Ingredients: 1 ½ lb cauliflower, cut into 1-inch florets; 5 tbsp olive oil; 2 tsp soy sauce; 1 clove garlic, thinly sliced; 14 oz silken tofu, drained; ½ cup peanut butter (or tahini, for something more bitter and grown-up); ⅓ cup panko bread crumbs; 2 tbsp sesame seeds; 1 tbsp chile crisp; 3 oz arugula; 1 tbsp rice vinegar; salt and black pepper

Beige upon beige upon beige, and then a cold green salad turns up and the whole thing is forgiven.

At a Glance

Time

35 min

Adjust servings

Story

Sealing the cauliflower in a foil parcel is not laziness, it is steam. Trapped with its own moisture it tenderises faster than it would roasting dry, and it comes out juicy rather than leathery. The salad is the other half of the trick: dressed at the very last second and dropped on hot, it stays cold and sharp for about two minutes, which is exactly as long as anyone needs.

Ingredients

1 ½ lb cauliflowercut into 1-inch florets
5 tbsp olive oil
2 tsp soy sauce
1 clove garlicthinly sliced
14 oz silken tofudrained
½ cup peanut butteror tahini, for something more bitter and grown-up
⅓ cup panko bread crumbs
2 tbsp sesame seeds
1 tbsp chile crisp
3 oz arugula
1 tbsp rice vinegar
salt and black pepper

Method

Three things are happening on one platter, all of them loud. A pale savory cloud on the bottom, a heap of hot cauliflower over it, and a cold sharp salad landing on top at the last possible moment. Get the crumbs made while the cauliflower steams so the whole thing arrives at once, because the salad does not wait and neither should you.

Heat the oven to 400 degrees and line a large baking sheet with foil. Tip on the cauliflower, drizzle with 3 tablespoons of the oil and the soy sauce, season lightly and toss to coat. Spread it out and dot the garlic over the top.
Lay a second sheet of foil over the cauliflower and crimp the edges to seal it into a parcel. Bake until crisp-tender, about 18 minutes. Cauliflower is denser than it looks, so wrap it tight and give the steam room to work.
While it bakes, make the crunch. Warm 1 tablespoon of the oil in a skillet over medium, add the sesame seeds with a little salt and pepper and cook, stirring, until they pop and darken a shade, about 2 minutes. They turn from nutty to acrid in about twenty seconds, so stay with them.
Stir the chile crisp into the pan, then the panko, and cook, stirring often, until the crumbs are toasted and golden, 2 to 3 minutes. Season and tip out onto a paper-towel-lined plate.
Blend the tofu, peanut butter and 6 tablespoons water in a food processor until fluffy, then season it generously. It is bland until you are brave with the salt. Spread it across a platter or shallow bowl.
Now, and not before, dress the salad. Toss the arugula with the rice vinegar, the last 1 tablespoon of oil and a pinch of salt.
Pile the hot cauliflower over the tofu and shower the crumbs over the cauliflower, then mound the salad in the middle so a ring of crunchy cauliflower still shows around the edge. Drizzle with more chile crisp and take it to the table immediately, while the top is cold and the bottom is not.