We are making a #meatlessmeal today! Having this sweet and spicy tofu with soba noodles 🍜 and crisp veggies 🥒. It’s a great one-pot type of meal and perfect for when you’re wanting healthier choices without taking too much time.
For extra good veggie-ness, we also quickly stir-fried up some baby bok choy 🥬 with some garlic as well as some King Oyster Mushrooms 🍄 in oyster sauce. 😋
Ingredients
1 ½ (14-ounce) packages firm tofu, drained
1/4 cup panko breadcrumbs
1/4 cup corn starch
2 tablespoons canola oil
2 tablespoons sesame oil
1 (8-ounce) package all-buckwheat soba noodles
4 garlic cloves, smashed
1 (1-inch) piece ginger, peeled and thinly sliced
1 small bunch green onions, white and green parts separated, cut into 2-inch matchsticks
⅓ cup soy sauce or tamari
3 tablespoons dark brown sugar
1 teaspoon black pepper
Pinch of red-pepper flakes
4 mini or 1 large, thin-skinned cucumber, thinly sliced
4 radishes, thinly sliced
Handful of cilantro leaves, for serving
1 lime, cut in wedges, for serving
Instructions
- Drain the tofu in a colander, or dry on paper-towel lined plate while you prep the remaining ingredients, about 10 minutes.
- Heat oven to 400 degrees. Cut tofu into 1-inch cubes. Combine cornstarch and panko in a bowl. Combine vegetable oil and 1 tbspn of sesame oil in another bowl. Dunk the tofu cubes into the oil then panko mixture. Place cubes onto a lined baking sheet and bake for 20-30 minutes until the tofu gets crisp and golden brown. Season to taste with salt.
- Meanwhile, cook the soba in boiling water for 5 to 8 minutes (or according to package directions), until just al dente, stirring frequently. Drain and rinse in cold water until the noodles no longer feel sticky.
- Add garlic, ginger and whites of the onions to the skillet, along with the remaining tablespoon sesame oil, reduce the heat to medium, and cook until the oil is fragrant, stirring constantly, about 1 minute.
- Reduce the heat to low and add cooked and drained soba noodles to the pan, along with soy sauce, sugar, black pepper, red pepper and reserved green onions; toss together until the noodles are coated. Gently toss in the tofu until all the pieces are covered in the sauce.
- Remove from the heat, and sprinkle cucumber, radish and cilantro on top. Serve warm or at room temperature, with lime.
2 comments
Great (but spicy dish). It is missing a step though. Did not indicate to mix the sauce in advance of adding to pan in step 5. Had to scramble to get it together fast enough to not burn my garlic.
Hi T! Thanks for your comment! When we’re cooking, we usually have all the ingredients and measuring spoons ready so we can just mix them directly into the dish. I’ve also updated the recipe to reduce the heat to low in step 5 to give people more time to add in the remaining ingredients 🙂