My daughter and I like to eat vegetarian fairly often and the men in the house grudgingly go along. Well this dish was a hit with the whole family and even won praise from my son aka Bacon Boy!
The key to imparting flavor to tofu is pressing the moisture out of it and then marinating. I find that leaving it in large slices rather than bite-size pieces during the marinating and frying makes it easier to brown. The crunch of the vegetables and peanuts are a great counterpoint to the soft tofu. And the flavors of this dish really shine: tart and bright citrus, sweet honey, salty soy sauce and fish sauce infused with umami – it’s got it all going on!
In case of peanut allergy, cashews and cashew butter can be substituted in the recipe, and any other high temperature cooking oil will do. A julienne peeler can help speed up cutting the carrot matchsticks.
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- Julienne Peeler
- 1 package extra firm tofu
- ¼ cup gluten-free low sodium soy sauce
- ¼ cup fish sauce
- 1 Tbsp rice vinegar
- Juice of 1 lime
- 1 Tbsp Sriracha (hot chili sauce)
- 1 Tbsp honey
- ½ tsp ground ginger
- 1 Tbsp cornstarch
- 1 heaping tsp peanut butter
- 3 carrots, peeled
- ½ lb snow peas
- 5 green onions, chopped
- 3 Tbsp peanut oil, divided
- 8 oz gluten-free spaghetti or rice noodles
- ½ cup peanuts, chopped
- ½ bunch cilantro, chopped plus a few leaves for garnish if desired
- Stand tofu block on its side and slice down lengthwise making 3 identical rectangular slabs.
- Place several layers of paper towels on a cookie sheet.
- Layout tofu pieces on paper towels.
- Cover with several more layers paper towels and then with another cookie sheet.
- Place some heavy objects on top. I usually use my great big Webster’s unabridged dictionary and a couple thick cookbooks.
- Let stand an hour or two.
- Mix soy sauce through peanut butter in a large zip-lock bag and massage bag to mix well.
- Add tofu and marinate an hour or more.
- Cut carrots into matchsticks. A julienne peeler can make this quick and easy.
- Cook noodles according to package directions but start checking for doneness a bit early – you want them al dente.
- Meanwhile remove tofu, reserving marinade, and pat dry.
- Heat 1 ½ Tbsp peanut oil in a large skillet over medium high heat.
- Cook tofu a few minutes until browned on bottom side.
- Then flip, brown on other side and remove.
- Heat remaining 1 ½ Tbsp oil in pan and sauté carrot, snow peas and green onions 2-3 minutes – you want them to still have some crunch and their bright colors.
- Add marinade to pan along with pasta, peanuts, cilantro and tofu. Stir to coat pasta and heat mixture through and serve. (You won’t need to thicken the sauce – the pasta will soak it up.)
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