Noodles with crispy tofu

The best way to eat tofu is to fry it, really. Combine it with noodles and stir-fried vegetables and you have a winner on your hands.

This dish is a great example of how to perfectly fry tofu: drain it, wrap in some kitchen paper to press out remaining moisture, cut it into cubes, coat in cornflour and your favourite spice mix, and success is guaranteed when you fry it in a pan.

The original recipe from Sainsbury’s had mushrooms included rather than green beans and a bit of carrot. But seeing as I am probably the only vegetarian on this planet that doesn’t like mushroom, I changed the recipe. As I usually do.

What makes this a delicious dish beyond the fried tofu, are the frozen edamame. Ever since I first started making this dish, I now always have frozen edamame in the freezer. They are delicious and easy to defrost and toss into meals.

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Noodles with crispy tofu

10 minutes preparation + 20 minutes cooking — serves 2

• 1 block of extra firm tofu (about 280 grams)
• 1 tablespoon cornflour (you can use regular flour if you don’t already have cornflour in your cupboard staples)
• 1 teaspoon Chinese 5-spice
• 150 grams flat rice noodles
• 200 grams frozen (sliced) green beans
• 1 medium to large carrot (or 2 small ones)
• 20 grams fresh ginger
• 100 grams frozen edamame beans
• 5 spring onions
• 2 tablespoons dark soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon sriracha sauce
• Oil

1. Drain the tofu and wrap into multiple layers of kitchen roll. Press to take out excess moisture.
2. Cut the tofu into cubes of c. 2cm.
3. Mix the (corn)flour and 0.5 teaspoon of Chinese 5-spice in a bowl.
4. Add the tofu to the (corn)flour, mix and make sure all sides of the tofu get coated.
5. Peel the ginger and cut into small, long pieces like matchsticks.
6. Wash the carrot and cut into thin diagonal slices.
7. Wash the spring onions and cut into thin diagonal slices.
8. Boil 1.5 liters of water in a kettle.

9. Heat some oil in a large frying pan and once hot, add the tofu.
10. Fry the tofu for c. 8 minutes on a medium to high heat, turning frequently until golden brown and crisp on each side.
11. While the tofu is frying, add the noodles to a large bowl and cover with the boiled water.
12. Leave the noodles to stand for 1-2 minutes (or longer depending on packet instructions).
13. Drain the noodles and wash them with cold water. Drain again and keep aside.
14. Once the tofu is crispy, take the pieces out of the pan and keep aside on a plate.
15. Add the carrot slices to the pan and stirfry for 2 minutes.
16. Add the frozen green beans, edamame, ginger and 0.5 teaspoon of Chinese five-spice to the pan and stirfry for another 5 minutes.
17. Add most of the spring onions to the pan and stirfry for another 30 seconds. Keep some aside to serve as a topping.

18. Add the tofu, noodles, soy sauce, and sriracha to the pan. Mix with the vegetables and heat through.
19. Serve the noodles with some of the remaining spring onions served on top.

Enjoy your meal!

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Leave a comment below if you made this recipe, and let me know what you think. Tips and feedback to improve the recipe are always welcome too!