Tai Yai tofu salad: tua pu goh ถั่วพูโก้

A Mae Hong Son style tofu salad with crispy garlic oil

Many of the Thai foods we find abroad are rooted in central Thai cuisine, but the people of Thailand are not a cohesive monolith (despite historical efforts by the state). As such, we shouldn’t assume the culinary repertoire of Thailand is culturally homogenous. Region to region (and even sometimes town to town), local cuisine, cooking methods, flavour profiles, and ingredients can vary greatly.

One of the regional cuisines I gravitate towards to is that of Shan, or Tai Yai, people in Thailand. Flourescent dried turmeric with a flavour so bold it’s hardly comparable to anything I’ve ever bought in the US or UK, is a staple. Dried spice blends, fermented soybeans, pulses, locally pressed sesame oil, and perilla seeds push local flavour profiles well outside of the oft repeated trope that Thai cuisine is defined by a balance of salty, sour, sweet, and spicy flavours.

Tua pu goh made by my friend’s auntie in Mae Hong Son

Tai Yai salads are warm and earthy, often lacking the bold acidity associated with Thai yam style mixes. Savoury is by far the overwhelming characteristic, with a more subtle chilli heat than in other regions.

An aside, just in case anyone is confused by the name of the dish (tua pu goh). In the central Thai language, AKA the language most Thais will understand even if also they speak in regional dialects or languages, tua pu refers to winged beans. In Shan, however, it’s a reference to tofu.

When learning about other cultures, outsiders like me often fixate on prescribing rigid categories in ways members often do not (culture is, after all, not locked and immovable). Goh is a type of Tai Yai salad where the defining element is typically a cooked paste, but this recipe, taught to me by a Tai Yai chef in Mae Hong Son, does not. I don’t know why and I didn’t question it.

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Tai Yai tofu salad: tua pu goh ถั่วพูโก้

This is one of those recipes that’s so absurdly simple it seems too good to be true. This dish is intended to be eaten with rice rice, ideally with some other dishes (e.g. a curry and a stir fry), rather than as a standalone dish. On its own, paired with rice, it will feed 1-2 people.

If you’ve got a jar of fried garlic and fried garlic oil (and you should), omit the final step of frying the garlic. Instead add two teaspoons fried garlic oil plus 1 teaspoon of the crispy garlic bits.

• 200 grams firm tofu, crumbled and mashed a bit by hand

• 2-3 tablespoons chopped green onion

• 2 teaspoons fresh lime juice

• ½ teaspoon sugar

• ½ teaspoon salt

• ½ teaspoon mushroom seasoning granules (find them at large Chinese grocers)

• ¼ teaspoon MSG

• Handful or two of greens, blanched (this works especially well with wild garlic) and roughly chopped

• Fresh coriander, chopped

• Chopped bird’s eye chillies, to taste

• 2 teaspoons vegetable oil

• ½ tablespoons chopped garlic

1. Chuck everything except the last two ingredients (oil and garlic) into a bowl and mix. Don’t be afraid to use your hands.

2. Heat a small nonstick frying pan on the smallest burner to the lowest heat. Add the oil and garlic, stirring regularly, until golden and fragrant. This will take 3-5 minutes. Tip into the tofu and mix through.

3. Eat with steamed jasmine rice.