Perilla and Tofu Dip
Dip is usually made with cream or yoghurt, but my Perilla and Tofu Dip is dairy-free. The slightly minty flavour of perilla is so refreshing. It is a low-calorie dip even if you eat it all yourself!
- Prep time
- 2 min
- Cook time
- 3 min
- Yield
- 4 servings
- Difficulty
- MEDIUM
Ingredients
Quantities are shown as originally provided.
- 18 shiso (Japanese perilla) leaves (roughly chopped (about 15g / 0.5oz, note 1))
- 300g / 0.7lb silken tofu ((also called kinugoshi tofu))
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tbsp light soy sauce ((note 2))
- ¼ tsp grated garlic
- A pinch of salt
- A sprig of shiso flowers or chopped shiso leaf ((optional))
- Carrot sticks
- Celery sticks
- Witlof/endive leaves
Instructions
- 1
Place a block of tofu in a saucepan filled with water. Bring it to a boil and cook for 1 minute (note 4).
- 2
Transfer the tofu to a sieve lined with a couple of sheets of kitchen paper. Crumble the tofu, then wrap it with the lined kitchen papers. (note 4)
- 3
Squeeze the wrapped tofu to get the water out until the weight of the tofu becomes about 200-225g / 0.4-0.5lb. Let it cool down to room temperature (you can put it in the fridge to speed up the cooling process).
- 4
Put all the ingredients in a blender, including the tofu, and whiz until the shiso leaves become tiny specks and the mixture becomes smooth, without tofu lumps (note 5).
- 5
Transfer to a serving bowl. Place a sprig of shiso flower or chopped shiso on the dip (if using) and serve with veggie sticks.