Tofu Lo Mein Noodles
40aprons.com/tofu-lo-mein-noodles/Crispy tofu, noodles and plenty of veggies, are tossed with a tasty sesame-soy sauce for a simple dinner that makes delicious leftovers, too!
Recipe Makes (Approximate):
Equipment
- large wok or cast iron skillet
Ingredients
- 8 ounces lo mein egg noodles (or spaghetti)
- 2 tablespoons sesame oil
- 3 green onions (sliced into 1/2” pieces, white & green parts separated)
- 3-4 cups julienne cut or chopped vegetables (like carrots, red peppers, napa or green cabbage, bok choy, mushrooms, or broccoli)
- block of extra firm tofu (drained and pressed, then cubed)
FOR THE SAUCE
- 5 tablespoons soy sauce (or coconut aminos, or lite tamari)
- 3 tablespoons dry white wine (Sauvignon Blanc or Pinot Grigio)
- 3 tablespoons oyster sauce
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon garlic-ginger paste (or 1 ½ teaspoons minced ginger + 1 ½ teaspoons minced garlic)
- 1 ½ tablespoons cornstarch
Instructions
- First, press the tofu. Wrap the tofu in 2 layers of paper towels, and place on a plate. Put another plate on top of the tofu to weigh it down. Leave it for about 15-20 minutes.
- Meanwhile, set a pot of water on high heat and bring to a boil, then cook your noodles as per the packets instructions until JUST al dente. When done, immediately drain and rinse with cold water.
- To make the stir fry sauce, add soy sauce, dry white wine, oyster sauce, sesame oil, garlic-ginger paste, and cornstarch to medium bowl. Whisk well until ingredients are fully combined and cornstarch is dissolved. Set bowl aside.
- To marinate the tofu, pour 1 tablespoon of the sauce over tofu and toss gently to coat. Leave to marinate while you chop the vegetables.
- Heat 1 tablespoon of sesame oil in large heavy skillet or wok over high heat. Add tofu and cook, without stirring, until the pieces are brown on the bottom and release easily from the pan. If it sticks, keep cooking, adding more oil if necessary. Stir and cook until golden on another side or two, then transfer to plate.
- Heat the remaining 1 tablespoon of sesame oil in a large wok or skillet over medium heat. Add the green onions (white parts) and vegetables to the hot pan. Stir fry until fork tender and green onions are softening, about 5 minutes. Add 2 tablespoons of water to loosen the browned bits up off the bottom of the pan. Let cook til water has evaporated.
- Remove from the heat. Let everything cool about 1 minute then add the cooked noodles and about half of the sauce – toss around in the hot pan to combine. Add more sauce if needed until color of noodles looks just right (medium brown, not dark, not light). Top with green parts of green onions and sesame seeds to serve.
Recipe Notes
Leftovers: Leftovers will keep in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Reheat in a skillet over medium heat with a splash of water. Stir frequently until heated through. This helps loosen the sauce as the noodles tend to absorb it in the refrigerator.
Chopping vegetables: Try to cut them into similarly sized, thin pieces so they cook at roughly the same rate. Vegetables like carrots and broccoli which tend to take longer to cook should be cut smaller or thinner than quick-cooking vegetables such as cabbage so that everything cooks at the same rate.
Frozen vegetables: Yes, I find that fresh vegetables have the best texture. Frozen ones won't have the same bite I find really elevates a noodle dish. If you want to use frozen vegetables, add them directly to the hot pan and cook until heated through and any excess water has evaporated before adding the noodles and continuing with the recipe.
Nutrition Information (Approximate)
Calories: 459calProtein: 3gFat: 11gSaturated Fat: 2gSodium: 1629mgPotassium: 88mgTotal Carbs: 6gFiber: 0.5gSugar: 1gNet Carbs: 6gVitamin A: 90IUVitamin C: 2mgCalcium: 16mgIron: 1mg
https://40aprons.com/tofu-lo-mein-noodles/