After a big meat binge in the south of France, it was time for some meat free eating. We ate like kings; particularly memorable was a steak, perfectly cooked as I asked 'bleu'. Two starters of foie gras also contributed to making my mind up about this healthy eating lark upon our return.Being Tofu Tuesday, I wanted something light and packed full of vegetables. I decided on Sweet and Sour Noodles.
Fried Tofu with Sweet & Sour Noodles
For 2
Half a block of tofu, sliced thickly, 5 per person
3 handfuls of stir-fry mix
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1" of garlic, chopped finely
1 chilli, chopped finely
Rice noodles, soaked in boiling water until soft, drained and tossed with sesame oil
3 tbsp ketchup
1 tbsp black vinegar (cheap balsamic is a good alternative)
2 tbsp light soy sauce
Large pinch of sugar
Cornflour, to dust the tofu slices
3 spring onion, sliced
Heat up a little oil in a wok until smoking. Dust the tofu with cornflour and fry in batches until golden and drain on kitchen paper. Clean and add a tbsp of oil. Fry the garlic, ginger and chilli until fragrant. Add the veg and stir-fry on a high heat for 2 mins. Add the noodles, and the ketchup, vinegar, sugar and soy sauce mix. Toss to coat, add the tofu slices back in, and take off the heat. Garnish with spring onion.
This was nice enough, but a little bland. I added chopped kimchi on top of the tofu to perk it up a bit. I think what would have been better would be to stir-fry the noodles with the veg seperately, and then make a seperate sweet and sour sauce for the fried tofu to have a quick braise in. One to experiment with, I think.
3 comments:
I gave tofu its first outing here last wednesday. marinated in various thai flavours and put in a green veg curry. It was pretty good, although the tofu, with its unique flavour that I hadn't really encountered before, stood out as something that was obviously thrown in to add protein and didn't feel part of the dish.
Clearly I need practice with his ingredient. How long do you marinate yours?
Hi Ros,
I've never marinated tofu. For many dishes, I've dusted it with cornflour and fried in very hot oil until golden, and then braised it further in a sauce so that it picks up these flavours. Otherwise, I steam it and then pour a sauce over it.
Soft tofu added to soups is good - you have to be very careful with it, but it makes a great texture contrast.
Brilliant blog!
If it is not too rude, may I ask what you do in the vague field of the media? (speaking as an ex tv retrobate[!])
Douglas.
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