I think majority of people think tofu is bland and boring, whether they’ve tried it or not. It’s a shame really, because tofu is one of the most versatile foods there is. If prepared correctly, it’s like a sponge that absorbs marinades easily and can be made to taste completely different every time. Plain or badly prepared tofu, on the other hand, is just awful.

If you’ve never had tofu before, or if you’ve had it and found it bland, this recipe is a great introduction to how tasty tofu can be. The tofu marinade, which really is the key to this dish, is from one of my favourite blogs, Vegan Yum Yum. The original recipe can be found here . I haven’t changed the recipe at all because it’s that good. For the stir fry, I’ve used a selection of crunchy and dark green vegetables but it’s also nice with just kale as in the original Vegan Yum Yum recipe (if you can find kale – it’s not always easily available in my area).

My favourite tofu is Cauldron Original. It’s extra firm, contains no nasty preservatives and it’s mild tasting so it’s easy to flavour. It’s also available in Tescos and most other supermarkets and only costs about €2-€2.50 a pack so it’s cheap, which is always a bonus.

This recipe serves 2 people.

Ingredients:

250g Firm Tofu

Egg Noodles

Marinade:

1/4 cup Water

1/4 cup Tamari (or Soy Sauce)

1 tbsp finely chopped ginger

1 tbsp Maple Syrup (or agave syrup)

1tbsp Rice Vinegar

1 tbsp Sesame Oil

1 Garlic Clove, finely chopped

1/2 tsp Mustard

1/4 tsp Chilli (or to taste)

Black Pepper, to taste

Stir Fry :

1 tbsp Sesame Oil (or Coconut Oil)

1 medium Leek, sliced

10 stems of Tender Stem Broccoli

Handful of Green Beans

1/2 Red Pepper, sliced

1/2 Green Pepper, sliced

The key to cooking tofu is  in the preparation. If it’s not well pressed and marinated, it’s not going to taste very nice. First, it needs to be pressed well in order to get rid of the water in it, so wrap the block of tofu in kitchen paper and then wrap a clean tea towel around it. Place on a clean surface and place a few heavy cookbooks on it. Leave to sit like that for half an hour, then turn the tofu over and leave for another half an hour. (TIP: If you have any tofu left over, you can either store it in an air tight container, covered with water, in the fridge for few days or freeze it.)

While the tofu is pressing, prepare the marinade. Put all the ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth.

Unwrap the tofu and cut into chunks. I usually cut the block in half lengthwise and then slice it in about 1-2cm thick slices. Put the tofu pieces in a zip lock bag and pour in the marinade. Seal the bag and put it in the fridge. Leave to marinate for an hour (you could also leave it overnight, if you want).

Once the tofu is ready, heat up 1/2 tbsp oil in a pan. Put the tofu pieces in the pan (without the marinade – leave this in the bag) and cook on medium high heat for few minutes. Turn tofu pieces over and cook on the otherside for few minutes. Keep on turning the pieces over every couple of minutes until the tofu pieces are well browned. Once cooked well, remove from the pan and set aside while you cook the rest of the dish.

At this point, it’s good to get your noodles cooking according to packet instructions.

Heat another 1/2 tbsp of oil in the pan. Add the leeks and cook for few minutes until well cooked. Add the broccoli, beans and peppers and cook for another 3 minutes. Make sure you do not overcook your vegetables, you want the peppers, beans and broccoli to be a bit crunchy. Pour in a little bit of the tofu marinade, add the tofu pieces and stir fry for another 30 seconds to a minute. Serve immediately.

Tags: asian , noodles , protein , stir fry , Tofu , vegan , vegetarian