A snack for Peter Rabbit: Asian tofu, edamame, radish, and avocado salad

Purple Bunny was my best plush friend for a long time. Given to me at birth by my grandfather, Purple Bunny, or just Purple for short, was an unrealistic-looking, lavender-colored, stuffed animal rabbit. He (gender assigned arbitrarily by yours truly) had stubby legs and arms and was only capable of sitting upright with all four limbs pointing forward. The only feature that identified him as a rabbit was his set of long floppy ears. Purple came with me everywhere and was the ring leader of the rest of my troop of stuffed animal friends, even into his old age when his fur became a soft gray after too much loving and one too many cycles in the washing machine. Together, we were a cute pair.

The other rabbit in my life was Beatrix Potter’s Peter Rabbit. Peter was the star of The Tale of Peter Rabbit, a children’s book I liked for my parents to read to me before going to bed. I loved his sisters – Flopsy, Mopsy, and Cottontail – because their names were fun to say, and I admired Peter for his rebellious streak that led him to Mr. McGregor’s garden, ignoring his mother’s warnings.

What did Peter do in the garden? “First he ate some lettuces and some French beans; and then he ate some radishes.” In 2011, 118 years after the original story was written, Peter again finds himself gorging on his favorite vegetables in Peter Rabbit: Ten Juicy Radishes. Of all the tasty, colorful things in a vegetable garden, why does he like radishes the most? (Especially since modern science tells us that radishes give rabbits gas.) We’ll probably never know.

For most of my life, I have not taken special notice of radishes. I always thought they were fine and relatively harmless but not so extraordinary as to require their own shout-out. That changed a few weeks ago after eating Solbar’s kimchi marinated tofu and edamame salad (with radishes). Maybe it was the cloudless, blue sky in Napa or our table in the sun on the restaurant’s terrace, both a respite from the lingering winter back East. Or maybe it was the wine starting to get to us from our morning vineyard visits. Or maybe the dish was just that good.

When Palate Guy and I got home, we promptly tried to recreate the salad with a few changes: tofu, radishes, edamame, and avocados for some creaminess. While not the same as its inspiration, we still finished the bowl in one sitting. So would Peter Rabbit, I bet.

Asian tofu, edamame, radish, and avocado salad

Inspired by Solbar’s kimchi marinated tofu and edamame salad

Ingredients

• 1 package extra firm tofu, cut into 1-inch cubes
• 2 cups edamame (or more/less to taste)
• 4-5 radishes, cleaned and cut into half-inch chunks
• 1 avocado, cut into 1-inch chunks
• 1/4 cup rice vinegar
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 2-3 teaspoons fresh ginger, minced
• 2 teaspoons sugar

1. Stir together rice vinegar, soy sauce, sesame oil, olive oil, ginger, and sugar.

2. Marinate tofu in this sauce for as long as you have – minimum of about 30 min, overnight if you are making this a day ahead.

3. Remove tofu from marinade and set marinade to the side (it will serve as sauce for the salad later, so do not throw it out!)

4. Pan fry the tofu in a hot skillet (preferably cast iron) over medium heat until golden brown.

5. Combine cooked tofu, edamame, avocado chunks, radish chunks, and remaining sauce in a bowl. Toss to evenly distribute vegetables and sauce.