Carrot salad with shiso, dates & tofu

Prep time 20 mins

Cook 30 mins

Serves 6

"I love the textural contrast and deep roasty sweetness that the fried carrots bring to this dish, it goes so well against the fresh crispiness of the raw carrot and flavour of the dates," says Jemma Whiteman of Ante bar. "A touch of chilli oil in the dressing gives it a little zing while the cool and creamy tofu ties it all together."

150g (½ packet) silken tofu
400g carrots (about 3-4)

8 dates, pitted and chopped into small pieces

½ bunch shiso, leaves picked
½ bunch dill, leaves picked
Salt and black pepper, to taste

DRESSING

3 tbsp light soy sauce

1 tbsp mirin

1 tbsp lemn juice
1 tbsp orange juice
2 tbsp olive oil
4 tbsp vegetable oil
1 tsp chilli oil

1 tsp rice wine vinegar

1. Make a tofu cream by whipping the silken tofu vigorously with a whisk until smooth. Season with a few drops of soy sauce. Refrigerate.

2. Peel carrots and cut them into 2 -3 pieces, then using the mandolin with the julienne blade (and the guard!) slice the carrot into thin matchsticks. If you don’t have a mandolin, slice the carrots into slices as thin as you can, stack a couple of slices on top of one another, then carefully slice into matchsticks. Divide the cut carrots in half. Keep half in the fridge until ready to assemble.

3. Add vegetable oil to a medium sized saucepan, until it is10cm from the bottom. Heat the oil to 180°C, check temperature using a kitchen thermometer. In small batches fry the carrots until they turn golden brown in colour and start to crisp. Be careful not to throw too many in at once as it may cause the oil overflow. Use a slotted spoon or tongs to take the carrots out of the oil. Drain on paper towel. Season lightly with salty and leave to cool.

4. Make the dressing by whisking all the ingredients together and seasoning with salt and black pepper.

5. Add together the raw carrots and dates in a large mixing bowl, tear in the shiso leaves and dill. Drizzle over some of the dressing and season with salt and pepper.
Spoon a layer of tofu cream onto the base of your serving dish and top with half the salad mix. Cover with half the crispy carrots, then the remaining raw carrot mix. Top the whole thing off with a scattering of crispy carrots.