• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
Nomss.com logo
  • HOME
  • ABOUT US
    • ABOUT US
    • SPONSORSHIP
  • RECIPES
    • Appetizer and Snacks
    • Chinese Medicinal Food Therapy
    • Desserts
    • Dips and Spreads
    • Drinks and Smoothies
    • Main Dishes
    • Salad Dressing
    • Salads
    • Sandwiches and Banh Mi
    • Seasoning and Spices
    • Soups and Stews
  • RESTAURANTS
    • DINING
      • Asian
        • Chinese
        • Japanese
        • Korean
        • Malaysian
        • Cambodian
        • Burmese
        • Singaporean
        • Vietnamese
      • American
        • Northwest
        • Steakhouse
      • Desserts
      • European
        • Belgian
        • French
        • German
      • Latin American
        • Spanish
        • Mexican
      • Mediterranean
        • Lebanese
        • Middle Eastern
        • Persian
  • MOTHERHOOD
  • LIFESTYLE
    • TRAVEL
  • Nav Social Menu

    • Email
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
    • YouTube
menu icon
go to homepage
subscribe
search icon
Homepage link
  • About Us
  • Recipes
    • Vegan
    • Air Fryer
    • Appetizer and Snacks
    • Chinese TCM
    • Desserts
    • Drinks and Smoothies
    • Main Dishes
    • Salads
    • Sandwiches and Banh Mi
    • Soups and Stews
  • Lifestyle
  • Subscribe
  • Follow Me

    • Email
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
    • YouTube
  • ×

    Ma Lan Tou Recipe | Kalimeris Indica Tofu Salad 馬蘭頭

    Nov 5, 2016 · 8 Comments

    Jump to Recipe·Print Recipe

    Ma Lan Tou Dried Tofu Recipe Instanomss Nomss Delicious Food Photography Healthy Travel Lifestyle
    馬蘭頭 Ma Lan Tou is a simple and refreshing cold appetizer that is very easy to make. It is usually served with a selection of small plates beginning any Shanghainese feast. For one, I like that it takes only 5 to 6 ingredients. It goes wonderfully with rice, saucy dishes and has a fragrant but mild flavor.

    Ma Lan Tou Dried Tofu Recipe Instanomss Nomss Delicious Food Photography Healthy Travel Lifestyle
    Ma Lan Tou (MLT) is also known as Kalimeris Indica (Indian Aster). It is a flowering herbaceous perennial plant (similar to a daisy or chrysanthemum) and grows mainly in China, Korea, and Japan. It is said that the plant is used in traditional Chinese medicine to treat acute inflammations, high blood pressure and is also effective in stopping the bleeding.

     

    Ma Lan Tou Dried Tofu Recipe Instanomss Nomss Delicious Food Photography Healthy Travel Lifestyle

    Whether it holds up to its medicinal uses I enjoy the extra serving of vegetables and dried bean curd.
    In Vancouver (Canada), MLT usually is packaged frozen. Rarely, do you ever see fresh leaves sold at supermarkets. Thaw and boil to remove the chillness. Run under cold water to stop the cooking. Using a colander, drain all water from the veggie and press out excess water.

     

    Ma Lan Tou Dried Tofu Recipe Instanomss Nomss Delicious Food Photography Healthy Travel Lifestyle

    This Ma Lan Tou recipe requires dried tofu豆腐干/豆干. If you don’t have these stocked at home, you can always use bean curd sheets (sometimes called bean curd threads). Since they come dried, you will need to soak them for at least 10 to 15 mins in hot water.

     

    If you use Dried Tofu, simply dice finely. If you bean curd sheets after soaked in water, ensure you press out the water. Pat dry remaining moisture. Then dice finely. The texture will be firm and a little rubbery.

     

     

    Ma Lan Tou Dried Tofu Recipe Instanomss Nomss Delicious Food Photography Healthy Travel Lifestyle

     

    Print

    Ma Lan Tou Recipe | Kalimeris Indica Tofu Salad 馬蘭頭

    EASY TO MAKE Taiwanese MA LAN TOU RECIPE | KALIMERIS INDICA TOFU SALAD 馬蘭頭 on Nomss.com Food Blog
    Print Recipe
    Pin Recipe

    ★★★★★

    5 from 8 reviews

    Ma Lan Tou is a simple and refreshing cold appetizer that is very easy to make. It is usually served with a selection of small plates beginning any Shanghainese feast. For one, I like that it takes only 5 to 6 ingredients. It goes wonderfully with rice, saucy dishes and has a fragrant but mild flavor.

    • Author: Nancy
    • Prep Time: 10
    • Cook Time: 5
    • Total Time: 15 minutes
    • Yield: 2-4 servings 1x
    • Category: Appetizer
    • Method: Blanching
    • Cuisine: Chinese

    Ingredients

    Scale
    • 2 Cups Ma Lan Tou
    • 3 Squares Dried Tofu (or 4 to 5 sticks dried bean curd)
    • 1 tsp salt
    • 0.5 tsp sugar
    • 0.5 tsp light soy sauce
    • 1 tbsp sesame oil
    • 1 tbsp cornstarch (Optional: to wash the Ma Lan Tou)

    Instructions

    1. Wash Ma Lan Tou with cornstarch. This is optional. But I find adding cornstarch helps to draw out dirt and any muddy flavors from the plant.
    2. If you are using frozen MLT, thaw, and blanch in boiling water for a few minutes to remove the chillness. Rinse with cold water.
    3. Drain water using a colander. Press out excess water with hands. Pat dry with paper towel. Finely dice MLT.
    4. Finely chop dried tofu/ bean curd.
    5. Add the finely diced MLT and dried tofu in a large mixing bowl.
    6. Add salt, sugar, soy sauce, and sesame oil. Toss and mix well.
    7. Tightly pack into bowl or cup and invert onto a dish to serve. I usually use a rice bowl.
    8. This dish can be made ahead of time and kept chilled in the refrigerator.
    9. Serve 4 (or serves barely 2 if you have me at your table)! I can this all to myself!

    Notes

    • Remember to drain well. The drier you can get the MTL the better. Wring tea towel also helps

    Keywords: Ma Lan Tou Recipe, Kalimeris Indica Tofu Salad, 馬蘭頭, Shanghainese, Chinese Cuisine, Chinese recipes, Malantou, recipes

    Did you make this recipe?

    Tag @instanomss on Instagram and hashtag it #instanomss

    Recipe Card powered byTasty Recipes

     

     

    EASY TO MAKE Taiwanese MA LAN TOU RECIPE | KALIMERIS INDICA TOFU SALAD 馬蘭頭 on Nomss.com Food Blog

    Pin the above image to your Chinese Food Recipe Board to bookmark this page. We are so excited to share our recipes with you!

     

     

     

    FOLLOW:
    instagramfacebooktwittersnapchatyoutube

     

     

     

    more: INSTANTPOT TAIWANESE GREEN ONION BEEF ROLLS RECIPE | 牛肉捲餅 | InstantPot Beef Brisket | Stir Fry Okra with Black Fungus 秋葵炒雲耳 | Black Moss Black Eye Bean Soup 髮菜眉豆花生排骨湯| Pig Trotter with Black Vinegar and Ginger Recipe 豬腳薑醋

     

     

     

     

     

    This post contains affiliate links and/or products submitted to Nomss for editorial consideration. To find out more, please visit our About/Disclaimer page.

     

    « Update Your Kitchen with a Gourmet Kitchen Faucet | Delta Trinsic Pro
    Yellow Dog Brewing Port Moody | Tri-Cities Craft Beer »

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Tavo says

      May 10, 2022 at 7:32 am

      I love this Chinese dish! I had tried it a couple of times but didn't know exactly what it was. Thanks to your recipe I got the ingredients and my local Chinatown, and the result was fantastic! Thank you!

      ★★★★★

      Reply
    2. Melanie says

      May 10, 2022 at 6:52 am

      Love the tip to wash with cornstarch, and how this recipe uses simple ingredients to really let the natural flavors shine. Thank you for sharing!

      ★★★★★

      Reply
    3. Katie says

      May 10, 2022 at 4:43 am

      My new favorite way to make tofu! So simple and so delicious!

      ★★★★★

      Reply
    4. Michelle says

      May 09, 2022 at 10:42 pm

      I've never tried something like this before, it was so delicious!!

      ★★★★★

      Reply
    5. Chantry says

      May 09, 2022 at 2:50 pm

      I've never heard of MLT before and am so excited to try it! Also washing with cornstarch is a new trick for me, do you use it on other veggies too?

      ★★★★★

      Reply
    6. Jacqui says

      May 09, 2022 at 12:59 pm

      I made this for lunch and I am totally obsessed with it. I am a huge tofu lover and this is totally satisfying all my tofu cravings. Deeeeelish!

      ★★★★★

      Reply
    7. Savannah says

      May 09, 2022 at 11:46 am

      This tofu salad is my favorite! I eat it all the time!

      ★★★★★

      Reply
    8. Holly says

      May 09, 2022 at 10:50 am

      I had to make a trip to the Asian specialty supermarket for this recipe but it was worth it! Served over Jasmine rice.

      ★★★★★

      Reply

    Comment Below Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe rating ★☆ ★☆ ★☆ ★☆ ★☆

    Primary Sidebar

    nancy wu nomss.com

    Hi, I'm Nancy!

    I'm a finance professional and a Mommy to a toddler girl based Vancouver, BC, Canada.

    I love modern Chinese cooking, Asian inspired recipes and healthy vegan / vegetarian / plant-based substitutes focused on healthy family, wellness and sustainability.

    For skincare, beauty and Motherhood, visit our sister blog hellonance.com

    More about me →

    Popular Recipes

    • Carrots, Purple Cabbage, Easy Kale Salad Recipe (Alkaline)
    • Toasted Coconut and Lemon Salad Dressing (Alkaline Diet)
    • Vegan Dan Dan Noodles 擔擔麵 素食
    • Easy Air Fryer Zucchini (Lemon Pepper)
    • Chinese Papaya Dessert with Snow Fungus (easy) 木瓜雪耳糖水
    • Vegan Chinese Papaya Soup with Black Eyed Peas 木瓜花生眉豆雪耳湯素食
    • Chinese Papaya Soup with Black Eyed Peas (Easy) 木瓜花生眉豆雪耳雞腳湯
    • Easy Red Bean Soup With Coconut Milk 椰汁紅豆沙
    logo
    Food Advertisements by

    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    About

    • Privacy Policy
    • Disclaimer

    Newsletter

    • Sign Up! for emails and updates

    Contact

    • Contact
    • Instagram
    • Shop my Liketo.Knowit

    As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

    Copyright © 2022 Nomss.com #instanomss