I am omnivore. I eat everything balanced. But, from time to time I indulge myself making a meal with 100 percent vegetable. I bet you, whether you are vegetarian, vegan or omnivore, will fallen love with the below recipe.
Here I offer you a delicious new vegetarian udon dish. You can prepare it easily (even though the udon dish sounds exotic to you) in your kitchen. To this dish I add the special flavor of sesame to the broth through the use of tahini. This addition to the simple Japanese-style broth makes the dish richer with a more interesting flavor. I also spice it with some red chile pepper for a little kick. If you go to a Japanese or Asian food stores, look for frozen udon noodles. When this type of noodles is available, go for it. The cooking time is only 1 to 2 minutes. You can, of course, use typical dried udon noodles as shown in the recipe. Gluten free, choose the Thai rice noodle. Follow the cooking instructions below and be careful not to overcook the noodles.
4 servings
1/2 pound firm tofu
1 teaspoon + 1/4 cup shoyu (soy sauce)
1/2 teaspoon curry powder
2 teaspoons + 2 tablespoons light brown sugar
2 tablespoons canola oil or other vegetable oil
1 large clove garlic, chopped
1 teaspoon crushed red chile pepper
6 tablespoons prepared tahini
4 cups vegetable stock
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 cups frozen vegetables – corn, green peas and carrot square
2 tablespoons corn starch
10 ounces bok choy or similar vegetable
13 ounces dry udon noodles or frozen noodles; rice noodle is also an option
1 ounce (2 pieces) shiitake mushrooms, cut into thin slices
2 tablespoons green part of scallion, thinly sliced
Cut the tofu into four equal slices lengthwise. On a plate in which the tofu slices fit without overlapping, add 1 teaspoon of the shoyu, curry powder and 1 teaspoon of the brown sugar, and stir with the back of the spoon to dissolve the sugar. Dip both sides of the tofu slices and leave them on the plate.
In a skillet add 1/2 tablespoon of the canola oil. When the oil is hot add the garlic
and red chile pepper, and cook for 20 seconds, stirring with a spatula. Remove the pot from the heat and add the tahini. Return the pot to medium-low heat and give several stirs. Add 1/2 cup of the vegetable stock to the pot and stir until the tahini is dissolved. Add the remaining vegetable stock to the pot and bring it to a simmer. Add the remaining 1/4 cup of the shoyu, 2 tablespoons and 1 teaspoon of the brown sugar and salt and bring it to a simmer. Turn off the heat and strain the tahini added stock through a fine sieve, set over another pot, discarding the crushed sesame seeds left in the sieve. Return the stock to medium heat and cook the frozen vegetables for 2 minutes. Turn off the heat.
Bring a plenty water in a large pot to a boil. Cut the white part of the bok choy into 1-inch x 2/3-inch pieces. Cut the leaf part of the bok choy into 1/4 inch slices crosswise.
Drain the tofu and wipe dry with paper towel. Add 2 tablespoons corn starch to the wiped plate. Dredge both side of the tofu with the corn starch. Heat a large skillet and add 1 tablespoon of the oil. When the oil is hot cook the tofu on one side until golden, about 1 1/2 minutes, over moderately high heat. Turn over the tofu and cook until the other side is golden. Remove the tofu from the skillet and transfer to the cutting board.
Cook the noodles in a boiling water al dente for 4 to 5 minutes, or as instructed on the package.
While cooking the noodles return the skillet to the stove top and add the remaining 1/2 tablespoon of the oil. When the oil is hot add the white part of the bok choy and cook for 1 minute over moderately high heat. Add the green part of the bok choy and shiitake and cook for 1 minute. Add 3 ladles of prepared tahini added stock to the skillet and bring to a simmer. By this time the noodles are done, so drain them and divide it into 4 noodle bowls. Cut each slice of tofu into 6 rectangles crosswise.
Bring the remaining stock in the pot to a simmer. Divide the stock over 4 noodle bowls. Divide the vegetables and stock in the skillet into 4 noodle bowls. Garnish the top of each bowl with the tofu pieces and scallion rings.