Singapore Noodles with Tofu

Singapore Noodles with Tofu

We always need quick & easy meals, which are still reasonably healthy – a quick search on BBC Good Food suggested this which seemed to fit the bill.

The original recipe called for Tikka Masala Paste, but as I have ishoos with buying jars of stuff I’m only going to use once, DH made his own using a Jamie Oliver recipe which I’ve included below.

We didn’t have beansprouts as my sprouter is languishing in a cupboard somewhere, and used a splash of lime juice instead of real lime wedges to serve.

• Servings: 2
• Time: 15 mins
• Difficulty: easy
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Ingredients

• 100g fine rice noodles
• 140g firm tofu
• 2 tbsp sunflower oil
• 3 spring onions, shredded
• 1 small chunk fresh root ginger, finely chopped
• 1 red pepper, thinly sliced
• 100g mangetout
• 100g beansprouts
• 1 tsp tikka masala paste (see JO recipe below if you don’t have any)
• 2 tsp reduced-salt soy sauce
• 1 tbsp sweet chilli sauce
• roughly chopped coriander and lime wedges, to serve

tikka masala paste

• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 thumb-sized piece fresh root ginger
• 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1 tablespoon smoked paprika
• 2 teaspoons garam masala
• ½ teaspoon sea salt
• 2 tablespoons groundnut oil
• 2 tablespoons tomato puree
• 2 fresh red chillies
• 1 small bunch fresh coriander
• 1 tablespoon desiccated coconut
• 2 tablespoons ground almonds
• 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
• 1 teaspoon coriander seeds

Instructions

1. drain the tofu (we do this by wrapping in a clean tea-towel & placing under the heavy chopping board)
2. make the tikka masala paste if making from scratch
3. cook the noodles as per instructions. Drain & rinse under cold water & cut into short lengths
4. heat 1tbsp of the oil in a wok or frying pan, add the tofu & stir-fry until browned all over. Drain on kitchen roll
5. heat the rest of the oil in the wok. Add the spring onions, ginger, pepper and mangetout, then stir-fry for 1 min. Add the noodles and beansprouts, then stir to mix.
6. mix together the tikka masala paste, soy sauce, chilli sauce and 1 tbsp water, then add to the wok, stirring until everything is well coated in the sauce.
7. serve sprinkled with the coriander, with lime wedges for squeezing over.

Like this?  How about:

• Singapore Noodles with Tofu
• Japanese Tofu Bowl
• Thai Green Tofu
• Sweet and Sticky Cashew Tofu

Sweet and Sticky Cashew Tofu

Sweet and Sticky Cashew Tofu

I love tofu, and this recipe, where it’s served in a sticky sauce with shiitake mushrooms looked too good to miss!

It was easy to make and very tasty, so we will definately be making it again soon. I’m even considering making it for the kids – despite her dislike of cooked mushrooms I think DD1(4.5) will love the rest of it!

Ingredients

for the sauce

• 2 tbsp toasted sesame oil
• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• 1/2 cup mirin
• 1 tsp rice vinegar
• 2 tsp brown sugar
• 2 tbsp cold water, whisked with 2 tsp cornstarch

for the tofu and vegetables

• 1-2 tsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp minced ginger
• 1 tbsp minced garlic
• 1 block of firm tofu, sliced into triangles (no need to press it)
• 2-3 small shallots, quartered
• 4-6 shiitake caps, sliced thinly
• handful or so of broccoli florets
• 1/3 cup raw cashews

to serve

• sesame seeds
• noodles or rice

Instructions

1. Mix all of the sauce ingredients except for the cornstarch and water into a small bowl and set aside.
2. In a pan, heat the olive oil over medium-low heat. Add in the ginger and garlic and allow to soften for a minute or two. Then, scrape the contents into a small bowl and set aside.
3. Return the pan to the stove and add a little more olive oil. Increase the heat to medium, then place the tofu triangles into the pan.  Allow the tofu to brown on one side for about 6 minutes, then flip and allow the other side to brown for the same amount of time. Transfer the tofu to a plate and wrap in kitchen roll.
4. Next, add in the shallots to the pan. Poke them around a bit after a minute to allow the layers to separate. Add in the mushrooms, stir, then deglaze the pan with a tablespoon of water. Allow to sizzle for a minute or two, then toss in the broccoli florets and cashews. Once the broccoli is bright green after a minute or so, transfer the pan contents to another plate.
5. Now return the tofu to the pan. Whisk together the sauce, then pour it over the tofu. Stir gently to combine. Stir the water and cornstarch together in a small bowl until combined, then pour into the pan, stir and allow to slightly thicken, then remove from the heat immediately.
6. Place cooked noodles or rice into a bowl. Add the vegetables and other reserved components to the bowl, then place the tofu triangles over everything, using a spatula to scrape any leftover sauce out of the pan. Sprinkle with the sesame seeds, then serve immediately.

Like this?  How about:

• Easy Miso Soup
• Singapore Noodles with Tofu
• Japanese Tofu Bowl
• Thai Green Tofu

Tofu, greens & cashew stir-fry

tofu, greens & cashew stir-fry

Both DH & I felt the need for some green stir-fry, so I searched BBC Good Food & found this recipe.

It called for marinated tofu, but our supermarket doesn’t sell it, so instead we marinated the drained tofu in soy sauce & baked it in the oven for about 30min

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp vegetable oil
• 1 head broccoli , cut into small florets
• 4 garlic cloves , sliced
• 1 red chilli , deseeded and finely sliced
• 1 bunch spring onions , sliced
• 140g soya beans
• 2 heads pak choi , quartered
• 1 pack tofu
• 1 ½ tbsp hoisin sauce
• 1 tbsp reduced-salt soy sauce (add extra to suit your own taste)
• 25g roasted cashew nuts

Instructions

1. Drain the tofu (I wrap it in a tea-towel), & put the oven on. 200C
2. Cut the tofu into bite sized pieces & then marinade it in some soy sauce.
3. Bake the tofu in the ove for approx 30min
4. Meanwhile, heat the oil in a non-stick wok.
5. Add the broccoli, then fry on a high heat for 5 mins or until just tender, adding a little water if it begins to catch.
6. Add the garlic and chilli, fry for 1 min, then toss through the spring onions, soya beans, pak choi.  Stir-fry for 2-3 mins.
7. Add the hoisin, soy, nuts & tofu to warm through.

Kale, mushroom & cashew stir-fry

Kale, Mushroom & Cashew nut stir-fry

Another yummy stir-fry from BBC Good Food

Ingredients

• groundnut oil
• small chunk ginger , shredded
• 1 red chilli , finely shredded
• 150g shiitake mushrooms , stalk discarded and sliced
• 200g kale
• 100g frozen soya beans or peas, defrosted
• handful cashew nuts
• 2 tbsp soy sauce mixed with 1 tsp Chinese five-spice
• 1 tsp sesame oil

Instructions

1. Heat 1 tbsp oil in a wok or large frying pan.
2. Add the ginger, chilli, mushrooms, kale and soy beans or peas then cook for 2 minutes.
3. Add the cashew nuts and cook for another 2 minutes, then tip in the soy and five-spice.
4. Cook for a minute or so then toss with the sesame oil and serve.

Like this?  How about:

• Easy Miso Soup
• Singapore Noodles with Tofu

Thai Tofu

Thai Tofu

I saw this post & thought it sounded fabulous.  Then I looked closer at the ingredients list and sighed.  I have a cupboard full of ingredients I have bought and used for one recipe, and am determined not to add to them this year (I’ve been doing alot of decluttering in the last few months!)

So, we improvised & it was very, very tasty! So much so, that I am ^almost^ tempted to buy the real ingredients to see if they could possibly make it taste any better!  So do check out the original recipe if you have a cupboard full of Thai ingredients that need using up!

Serves 2

Ingredients:

• 200g firm tofu
• 0.5 Tbsp olive oil
• 0.5 tsp sesame oil
• 1 tsp vegetarian red curry paste – make sure it doesn’t have fish in it!
• 1 chilli, finely chopped
• 2 Tbsp light soy sauce
• 2 Tbsp brown sugar
• 3 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1 small onion, cut into thin slices
• 3cm fresh ginger, finely chopped
• 1/2 red bell pepper, chopped into bite-sized pieces
• 1 portobello mushroom cap, cleaned with stem and gills removed, chopped into bite-sized pieces
• 1/2 cup sugar snap peas

To serve:

• 100g rice

Instructions:

1. Drain the water from the tofu. (I do this by wrapping it in a tea-towel)
2. Prep all the veg
3. Heat the oil in a wok. Cut the tofu into 1″ cubes and fry in the wok until golden brown on all sides. Drain on kitchen roll
4. Put the rice on.
5. Add the red curry paste to the wok, along with the chopped chilli, crushed garlic, soy sauce, and brown sugar. Bring ingredients to a boil and reduce heat to low so that the sauce is simmering.
6. Add the onion to the wok. Saute for 1-2 minutes.
7. Add the chopped ginger, tofu cubes, red bell pepper, and mushroom cap pieces. Cook for 5-7 minutes.
8. Stir in the sugar snap peas. Continue stirring items together gently for a couple of minutes.
9. Remove from heat and serve with the rice immediately.

Like this?  How about:

• Easy Miso Soup
• Singapore Noodles with Tofu

Hot Chilli Pepper Tofu

Hot Chilli Pepper Tofu

I can’t for the life of me remember how I found this recipe (perhaps Pinterest?), but as soon as I saw it, I knew I had to make it.

The original recipe used corn syrup, as I’ve never had a need to buy this before I was reluctant to buy a bottle & looked up what I could use instead.  It seems that honey, syrup, or any other sticky-goo-type liquid was a suitable replacement, so I thought mirin might be appropriate.

I served this with rice & stir-fry veg.

Ingredients

• 1 pack of firm tofu, cubed
• 1 tbsp corn flour
• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, chopped
• 1/2 inch ginger, chopped
• 1 fiery chilli, chopped
• 1 1/2 tbsp soy sauce
• 1/2 tsp sugar
• 1/2 tsp mirin
• 1 tsp sesame oil
• 60ml water
• pinch of chilli powder
• pinch of toasted sesame seeds
• some finely chopped spring onion
• some vegetable oil
• salt and pepper

to serve

• stir-fry veg
• rice

Instructions

1. Dry tofu (I use tea-towels) before cubing, then coat lightly with corn flour (I put them in a tupperwear box & shake). Add pinch of salt and generous helpings of freshly cracked black and white pepper.
2. Put the rice on
3. Heat some oil in the wok or frying pan over medium to high heat, and gently shallow fry for around 5mins until golden. Remove cooked tofu cubes and set aside.
4. Use the same pan, heat some oil and gently fry the chopped onion, garlic, ginger and chilli until onions are softened.
5. Heat another pan & stir-fry the veg.
6. Once onions are softened, add tofu, soy, sugar and chilli powder along with water. Bring them up to boil and simmer on low heat until tofu has soaked up all the juices.
7. Stir in the mirin, drizzle sesame oil and seeds.
8. Sprinkle finely chopped spring onions and dig in.

Like this?  How about:

• Thai Green Tofu
• Sweet and Sticky Cashew Tofu

peanut noodles

I saw this, here on WordPress & thought that it might be good for the kids. Then I noticed it was a bit salady, so I turned it into a stir-fry.

The kids loved the sauce, they were both eating it off spoons, but didn’t really like it on the noodles

Ingredients

For peanut dressing

• 2 tbsp crunchy peanut butter
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tbsp warm water
• 1 tsp chopped peeled fresh ginger
• 1 medium garlic clove, chopped
• 1 tbsp rice vinegar
• 1 tsp Asian toasted sesame oil
• 1 tsp honey

for the stir fry

• 1 pack of noodles
• 1 pack of stir-fry veg
• half a pack of tofu

Ingredients

1. drain the tofu
2. puree the dressing ingredients
3. fry the tofu, steam the veg & cook the noodles
4. once cooked, dry the tofu on some kitchen roll, stir the sauce into the noodles & serve.

Tofu & Vegetable Pad Thai

I think I saw this recipe on Pinterest & thought that a peanut butter sauce would be the perfect way to get DD2(1.3) to like noodles.  Then when I came to make it I realised it didn’t actually have any peanut butter in it – just peanuts on top, so I added some.

I halved the original recipe as I was just making it for the kids, and used sweet chilli sauce instead of anything too spicy. I used some tofu that had been in the freezer – it makes the texture slightly different – a bit firmer, but the kids loved it all, and DH & I liked the leftovers that we got to sample!  It’s definately one we will be making again.

This should serve 4

Ingredients

• enough noodles for 4
• 75ml lime juice, plus lime wedges for serving (3 limes)
• 3 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon chili sauce, such as Sriracha
• 1 tablespoon packed dark-brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon crunchy peanut butter
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
• 400g firm tofu, drained, thinly sliced, and patted dry
• 2 medium carrots, peeled and shredded
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 8 spring onions, white and green parts separated and thinly sliced
• 2 tablespoons roasted salted peanuts, chopped
• 60g fresh corriander leaves

Instructions

1. Cook noodles according to package instructions; drain.
2. In a small bowl, whisk together lime juice, soy sauce, chili sauce, brown sugar and peanut butter.
3. In a large nonstick skillet, heat 1/2 teaspoon oil over medium-high, tilting to coat pan. Add eggs, swirl to coat bottom, and cook until just set, about 1 minute. Transfer eggs to a cutting board, loosely roll up, and cut crosswise into thin strips.
4. Add 4 teaspoons oil to skillet and heat. Add tofu in a single layer and cook until golden brown on both sides, 7 minutes, flipping halfway through. Transfer to cutting board.
5. Add 1 1/2 teaspoons oil, carrots, garlic, and spring onion whites to skillet and cook until softened, 5 minutes.
6. Add lime-juice mixture and bring to a simmer. Add noodles and cook, stirring frequently, 1 minute.
7. Add eggs and tofu and gently toss to combine.
8. Divide among four plates and top with peanuts, cilantro, and spring onion greens. Serve with lime wedges.

sweet & sour stir fry

Sweet & sour stir-fry

based on a Rose Elliot recipe

right… i’ve got DD1 eating a very basic stir-fry lets try her with some sweet & sour sauce

serves 2.5

Stir-fry

• 2 portions noodles
• 4 tsp toasted sesame oil or plain cooking oil if you can’t get it (not olive)
• 250-300g/8-10oz packet firm tofu, drained and sliced long ways into 2-3 ‘steaks’, depending on thickness of slab
• some veg e.g.
  • 1 carrot, cut into matchsticks
  • 1 courgette, cut into matchsticks
  • 125g/4oz mange tout, halved
  • 8 spring onions, sliced

Sauce

• ½ tsp cornflour
• 2 tbsp reduced salt soy sauce
• 1 tsp castor sugar
• 1 tbsp honey
• 1 tbsp rice vinegar

Method

1. Boil kettle for noodles.
2. Heat 2 tsp of sesame oil in a frying pan or wok, add tofu ‘steaks’ and fry on both sides until crisp and golden brown. This will take about 4-5 minutes on each side and you may need to do it in two batches, depending on size of pan, so do it before you begin work on vegetables. Alternatively, to brown all sides of the tofu, chop into cubes and gently turn pieces around four times until golden.
3. Cook noodles in pan of boiling water for required time on packet, drain in cold water and set aside.
4. While tofu is cooking, mix together sauce ingredients in a small bowl and set aside.
5. Heat remaining sesame oil in a wok and add all vegetables.
6. Stir-fry for 3-4 minutes until heated through but still crunchy.
7. Once tofu cooked, remove and drain on kitchen paper.
8. Give sauce a quick stir then pour into wok and stir until thickened.
9. Slice tofu into small pieces, add to pan and stir until coated with sauce.
10. Heat noodles through gently and serve sweet & sour veggies with them.

basic stir-fry

Techically, this isn’t really a stir-fry as the veg is steamed, but the DC prefer it that way & I’m not really going to complain when they demand their veg is steamed am I? 😉

DC1 isn’t really very keen on sauces (or if we do have them they have to be on the side so she can decide if/how much to have), but loves soy sauce

ingredients

• tofu
• reduced salt soy sauce
• noodles or rice

some veg – e.g.

• asparagus
• baby corn
• mange tout
• carrot

instructions

1. drain the tofu (I wrap it in a clean tea-towel & put under our heavy chopping board for 30 min) & cut into little “fingers”
2. put the kettle on
3. marinade the tofu in the soy sauce
4. prepare the veg
5. fry tofu in some oil
6. cook the noodles/rice
7. put veg in steamer
8. serve