Vietnamese-inspired Jackfruit and Tofu Salad with Vegan Fish Sauce Recipe (with Video)

1. Wash all the herbs thoroughly. The best way to wash the basil, cilantro, and green onions is by soaking in a bowl of water, draining the water, and repeating a 2-3 times until the water runs clear. Thoroughly rinse the cucumbers.
2. Prepare the basil, cilantro, green onions, white onion, and cucumber and add it to a bowl.
3. Prep the tofu and then heat up 1 tbsp of oil in a non-stick pan. Add the tofu, garlic salt, mushroom seasoning, and black pepper. Pan fry for about 3-4 minutes or until the tofu is heated throughout. Set to the side and heat up 1 tbsp of oil in the same non-stick pan. Add the jackfruit, salt and pepper. Pan fry for about 3-4 minutes and set to the side. Allow the tofu and jackfruit to cool down for a few minutes before adding it to the salad bowl with the other herbs and vegetables.
4. While the tofu and jackfruit are cooling down, prepare the vegan fish sauce by combining sugar, soy sauce, water, vinegar, juice of a lime, chili pepper, and garlic in a glass container. Whisk until thoroughly combined. Feel free to adjust according to your preferences. If you like it more sweet, add more sugar. If you like salty, add more soy sauce.
5. Combine the tofu and jackfruit with the herbs and vegetables and mix together. Serve with 2-3 tbsp of the vegan fish sauce and shallots. Serve immediately or refrigerate for an hour if you prefer a cool salad. Enjoy!
6. Optional: Thinly slice one shallot and pan fry in a 1 cup of vegetable oil until the shallots are golden, about 7-8 minutes. Drain the oil through a fine mesh sieve and lay the fried shallots on a paper towel covered plate to allow the paper towel to absorb the remaining oil. Add the shallots to the salad as needed.