Another tofu recipe for you this week. I am determined to rehabilitate the reputation of tofu and this veggie take on one of my favourite take away dishes is both gorgeous and quicker to make than my local Chinese is to deliver.
Does anyone else remember that rubbish show on the BBC a few years ago where a chef would try and convert a take away junkie but buying the ingredients and making a dish for less money and in less time than it would take the fast food to be delivered? Just me then? ANYWAY I am basically like those chefs… only not.
Ingredients:
250g drained and pressed tofu
1 cube of frozen garlic or 2 crushed cloves
chopped onion
chopped peppers
1 nest of wholemeal noodles per person
1 jar of sweet & sour sauce
To dust the tofu I used;
2 heaped tablespoons of wholemeal flour
1 tablespoon each of milled flaxseed, semolina, crushed pumpkin and sunflower seeds, plenty of salt and pepper
Make it:
OK if you press tofu it retains a firmer texture. So take it out of the container and drain it. Then wrap the tofu in several layers of kitchen roll and press on it gently with your hands. More fluid will deposit itself on your kitchen roll. Re-wrap in fresh kitchen roll and then place a heavy roasting tray on top. You can use books but make sure they have a wipe clean cover! Leave it for 10 minutes, unwrap it and you are ready to go.
Chop the tofu into bite sized squares.
In a bowl mix together the flour of your choice and any seeds, spices or grains you wish to add and plenty of salt and pepper.
Toss the tofu in this mix until it is lightly coated.
Heat up a generous amount of oil in your wok or large and deep frying pan. The tofu will take around 10 minutes to cook and you need to turn it so that all sides are crispy and golden brown. It is a bit of a pain yes but it is so worth it.
While it is cooking set a saucepan of water to boil for the noodles.
Remove the tofu and place it on yet more kitchen roll to allow any excess oil to drain away.
Pop 1 nest of wholemeal noodles per person in the boiling water. Cook for 4 minutes.
In the wok cook the garlic, onions, peppers (and any other veggies you fancy, grated carrot, bean sprouts, shredded greens and thin strips of courgette will all work) until they are just soft.
Drain the noodles and add them to the pan along with the jar of sweet and sour sauce, combine and let it cook for a further minute.
Serve the noodles and veggies in a bowl topped with the crispy torfu pieces and enjoy!
