When it’s a million degrees out and even the thought of turning on the stove makes you sweat, this Chilled Watermelon Cucumber Soup comes to the rescue. It’s light, hydrating, and bursting with flavor—basically the edible version of jumping into a cold pool. Crisp cucumbers read more
I used to think my mom made this up. When I was little, she’d serve us bowls of strawberries and let us mash them up, drizzle in a little honey or a sprinkling of sugar, and pour cold milk over the whole thing. The strawberries read more
Chilled Tofu Terrine is one of those dishes that looks incredibly elegant, but is actually super simple to make. There’s no oven involved, barely any cooking, and it can be made ahead—perfect for warm weather days when the last thing you want is to stand over a hot stove. Living in Florida, I’m always on the lookout for light, refreshing dishes that won’t heat up the kitchen, especially during the hottest days of summer. This terrine layers silken tofu with a savory filling of sautéed mushrooms, spinach, and miso. “Terrine” usually refers to a French dish that’s layered and pressed into a mold, often served cold. This version skips the mold and meat, but keeps the layered, make-ahead vibe—with tofu standing in as the perfect cool, creamy base. Once chilled, it firms up beautifully and slices cleanly into elegant, savory stacks—cool, refreshing, and full of flavor.
Then just before serving, the Chilled Tofu Terrine gets zhushed up with a punchy sauce made from gochujang, miso, garlic, and sesame oil that gets drizzled over the top. It’s bold, garlicky, and packed with umami; the perfect contrast to the cool, creamy tofu. I love serving this as a make-ahead appetizer, a light lunch, or part of a small dinner spread. It’s plant-based, fridge-friendly, and perfect for keeping cool while still eating well. Perfect for entertaining or as a make-ahead meal when it’s too hot to cook, so let’s get into it.
I start making my Chilled Tofu Terrine by making the magical sauce. It’s the kind of sauce that makes you want to eat it with a spoon, so feel free to make a double batch. Drizzle it over fried eggs, chilled soba noodles, or even use it as a sandwich spread.
Making it is as simple as bringing all the ingredients to a simmer and then chilling it.
First I add the mirin:
Then the miso, you can use any color you have on hand:
Then comes the gochujang:
A little freshly minced garlic:
And finally some freshly ground black pepper:
Then I just bring it to a simmer:
Once it starts to simmer I take it off the heat, let it cool down to room temperature, and then chill it in the fridge. Then it’s time to make the filling for the chilled tofu terrine.
Remove the woody stem from the shiitakes and slice them:
Then trim the enoki mushrooms and separate them into little bundles:
Once the mushrooms are prepped it’s time to start cooking! I begin by heating a pan and adding the sesame oil:
Then I add the mushrooms:
Stir-fry for 2-3 minutes until they start to brown and stir in the miso:
Add the spinach to the shiitakes, and stir until wilted, about a minute. The liquid the spinach releases will help the miso turn saucy.
Add the enoki:
And stir for another minute until the mushrooms are soft:
Then I set the filling aside to cool and get to work slicing and shaping the terrine. First cut the slab of tofu into 3 equal pieces lengthwise:
Then you are going to cut each of those horizontally into 3 pieces. You’re aiming for 9 thin slices total.
Now it’s time to add the filling and make your stacks.
Once I have my triple stack, I wrap it in plastic wrap to help keep its shape.
The tofu container makes for excellent storage here, it’s already the perfect size and shape:
I make the remaining two stacks and then I chill them for a few hours to help the flavors marry. They can hang out in the fridge for a couple days, and you can be all smug in the knowledge that you have a glorious dish ready to go at a moment’s notice.
When ready to serve I put some of the sauce on 3 small plates:
Then place your beautiful terrines on the plate and top with more sauce and toasted sesame seeds:
I hope you love these vegan chilled tofu terrines. They offer an exciting blend of colors and flavors and textures, and are just perfect for the long hot days heading our way. Let me know what you think and tag me in your pics @funkyasiankitchen, we wanna see how you rock this dish! Looking for more vegan dishes? Check out our Vegan Archives and indulge in some favorites like Melting Broccoli or Yakimatsu.
Sauce:
Filling:
For tofu:
Prepare The Sauce: Put all of the sauce ingredients into a small sauce pan. Bring to a simmer over medium high heat while stirring. Turn off the heat as soon as it starts to simmer. Set aside to cool and then store in the fridge until ready to serve.
Make The Filling: Cut the bottom inch off of the enoki mushrooms, which is the growing medium. Cut the enoki in half lengthwise and gently shred the mushrooms into little bundles.
Heat a medium pan over medium high heat. Add the sesame oil and the shiitake mushrooms. Stir-fry for 2-3 minutes until cooked and starting to brown. Add the garlic and stir into the shiitakes. Next add the miso. Stir the miso into the mushrooms as best you can (it’s clumpy and may not fully dissolve into the mushrooms, which is fine.)
Add the spinach and cook for 1 minute until wilted. The liquid from the mushrooms and spinach will help dissolve the miso and turn it into a sauce. Add the enoki mushrooms and stir for another minute until the mushrooms have wilted. Set aside to cool to room temperature.
Make The Tofu Terrine: Open the block of tofu and cut it into thirds on the longer side. Then gently tip the blocks to the side and slice it into thirds horizontally. Now each little block is cut into 3 thin pieces.
Once the filling is cool, spoon a couple tablespoons of filling onto the bottom piece of tofu. Layer another piece of tofu on top and again spoon a couple tablespoons of filling onto the tofu. Top with the last piece of tofu. Place this completed block of tofu on a piece of plastic wrap and gently roll it a couple of times. Place it back in the tofu carton or in a plastic container.
Repeat with the two remaining blocks of tofu. You will yield three layered tofu blocks.
Place your tofu blocks in the fridge for a couple hours. This will allow the tofu to absorb the flavors of the filling.
Plate your Terrine: Spoon a couple tablespoons of sauce onto three small serving dishes. Gently unwrap the tofu terrines and place them on the plate. Spoon a little more sauce onto the terrine and sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds. Serve immediately.
*These terrines and the sauce can be made and stored in the fridge for a couple of days. They are served cold so it’s the perfect make ahead dish.
Keywords: chilled tofu, vegan, mushrooms, make ahead, summer, no cook
It’s the constant refrain of summer; it’s too hot to cook but we still need to eat. Chilled Kimchi Noodles to the rescue! This refreshing mashup combines both Korean and Japanese flavors, resulting in a cool and satisfying meal that’s the perfect antidote for those read more
I am traveling in Japan right now, visiting family. And you might not know this, but Japan has the best fruit in the world. Fruit here is meticulously grown in small crops, and carefully selected for perfect sweetness and appearance. Some fruit, like our prized read more
Let’s all take a moment to appreciate the humble unsung hero, the rotisserie chicken. Dress her up or dress her down, she’s always recipe ready! Like a lot of people, I can’t resist grabbing one of Costco’s famous chickens whenever I’m there, and I’ve developed several recipes that take advantage of its delicious convenience (not to mention its budget friendly price). This Lemon Chicken Salad is one of my favorites, and I hope it will be one of yours too. I know it’s all pumpkin spice this and autumn that, but frankly the weather across much of the country is still really hot, and this cold no-cook salad with a bright and savory dressing is a great way to beat the heat.
I love this dressing so much. It’s got all of my fave flavor boosters; like freshly grated ginger, minced garlic, toasted sesame oil, soy sauce, oyster sauce, and mirin. Lots of lemon zest and fresh squeezed juice add bright citrusy flavor.
Then I just stir in the minced garlic and ginger, and a sliced Thai bird chili. You can omit the chili if you’d like; we like it hot around here…
Once the dressing is done, I quickly compose the salad. I used rotisserie chicken in this recipe, but any leftover chicken will do. And the flavors are so robust that any mild seasoning on the chicken will not interfere. You can give the chicken a quick rinse if you are concerned, but I wouldn’t bother.
I like to cut the chicken into large chunks so it feels substantial and I like the herbs to be roughly chopped so you can tell what they are. The secret to making leftovers appealing is to have it look fresh and deliberate, like you intentionally made the salad this way. No sad leftovers here…no one will know.
I love endive in this salad. Its slight bitterness plays really well with the dressing and it’s available well into the cold winter months. You can sub any other chicory you prefer, or even arugula or watercress.
My Lemon Chicken Salad makes a wonderful light supper, or brunch highlight and leftovers are perfect the next day…leftovers from leftovers? Let’s make it a thing. Grab a rotisserie chicken today and see for yourself! Let me know what you think by leaving a comment, and of course tag us in your pics @funkyasiankitchen, we love hearing from you.
Dressing:
Keywords: rotisserie chicken, lemon, quick, salad, dinner salads,
Hi there!
I’m Kazu, a restaurateur in Miami who wants to show you all of the best tricks for creating restaurant quality Asian meals at home.
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