As I was making this dish for what seems like the millionth time, I realized I had never shared it with you! How is that possible? This is one of my all time favorite dishes - wonderfully tasty, fairly easy to make and more or less healthy! It's one of the few dishes that M requests time and time again, even if we've just eaten it the week before.
You can use regular or baby bok choy, depending on what you have available and what your personal preference is. I've used both and preferred the baby bok choy, but M preferred the larger type, because he enjoys the bigger chunks of veggie in his noodles. If you don't want to lightly fry the tofu at the beginning, for health reasons or whatever, feel free not to - you just won't need as much oil for the recipe. I prefer it fried because I have a weird prejudice against squishy tofu. But that's just me.
Noodles with Bok Choy and Tofu
adapted from Bon Appétit, July 2000
- 1/4 cup soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 2 tablespoons chili oil
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch
- 8 green onions, chopped
- 2 large garlic cloves, minced
- 2 heads bok choy, bottom third discarded, leaves and ribs thickly sliced
- 12 ounces extra-firm tofu, cut into 1/2-inch pieces, drained well
- 12 ounces udon noodles, freshly cooked
Pour soy sauce into measuring cup and whisk in vinegar, honey, 1 tablespoon chili oil and cornstarch, blending thoroughly. Heat remaining 1 tablespoon chili oil and olive oil in a large heavy pot over high heat. Add tofu and fry briefly until slightly golden. (If desired, you can dust the tofu cubes with cornstarch first - they will crisp up faster. For this recipe I generally don't bother.) Add green onions and garlic and stir for 30 seconds. Add bok choy ribs and sauté for about 2 minutes. Add bok choy leaves and sauté until beginning to wilt, about another 2 minutes. (If the ribs are small, go ahead and add the ribs and leaves together.) Mix in noodles and soy mixture. Stir to coat everything with sauce and continue cooking and stirring for a minute or two until the sauce thickens slightly.
See? I told you I'd be back with recipes! Have a great weekend everyone!
