pan fried tofu with kale and noodles

December 28, 2020/

pan fried tofu with kale and noodles is your new fave “Meatless Monday” meal!

It’s been a while since I share a vegan dinner with you – but this pan fried tofu with kale and noodles was worth the wait.

When Chelsea became a vegan back in her college years one of the first things I learned how to cook was tofu. It was a no-brainer as I was able to make a dinner comprised of tofu for her, a traditional protein for the rest of us and sides we all could share.

And I quickly learned that there are several steps to ensure a successful tofu dish:

1.It must be drained of all liquid, and

2.It must be marinated with lots of flavorful ingredients.

Step 1 was tricky – and I clearly recall wrapping the block of tofu in several layers of paper towels, placing it in a pie plate, placing ANOTHER pie plate on top and then precariously stacking heavy cookbooks, pots, cans, whatever I could find to create enough weight to thoroughly drain it.

I wish I’d taken a picture of this.

So when the folks at TofuBud asked me to review their tofu press I was intrigued, to say the least.

And very skeptical – having been burned one too many times by “as seen on TV” products that never quite measured up.

The idea of TofuBud is pretty simple – you place your block of tofu in the box, cover it with a spring-loaded lid, and once the lid is locked down wait for the tofu to drain.

I was immediately impressed with the clean and simple look and design of the components – and it was beyond easy to use. Simply place the tofu between the 2 plates and put all into the box. Slide the lid on top and twist the spring-loaded knob until it locks into place.

As you can see the bottom plate is raised to allow the liquid to drain out and away from the tofu (something my “technique” never resolved). After only 15 minutes the tofu is ready to use.

I also appreciated the spout on the box – I was able to neatly pour the liquid out before removing the tofu.

And it was as easy as that! The tofu was drier than I’d ever seen, which meant that step 2 would be even more successful. Dry tofu absorbs marinades more thoroughly so you’ll have more flavorful tofu in the end.

I was excited to dust off my vegan recipe file and came across this dish that I’d saved but never tried – and it was really delicious. Although baking tofu is a bit easier, there’s something about the texture of pan-frying that makes it worth the extra effort. Especially with the addition of the fried noodles, which got a little crispy in the pan.

For those of you who make tofu on the regular I’m curious – what’s your best method for draining? Fave marinade? And do you pan fry or bake?

Pan Fried Tofu with Kale and Noodles

1/2 cup water, divided
1/2 cup soy sauce, divided, plus extra for sprinkling
1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
1 tablespoon maple syrup
2 tablespoons rice vinegar, divided
1 minced garlic clove
14-ounce block firm tofu, drained well and cut into 8 slices
4 ounces any dried noodles (I used lo mein)
olive oil
1 head curly kale, stems removed and roughly chopped
sugar

Make the marinade and dipping sauce: In a pie plate add 1/4 cup of the water, 1/4 cup of the soy sauce, the ginger, maple syrup, 1 tablespoon of the rice vinegar and the minced garlic. Whisk to combine. In a small bowl or dish add the remaining 1/4 cup of water, 1/4 cup of soy sauce and 1 tablespoon of rice vinegar. Whisk to combine.

Place the tofu slices in the pie plate and turn to coat thoroughly with the marinade. Let marinate for 15 – 30 minutes, turning often. Meanwhile, cook the noodles according to package directions; drain and coat with a bit of oil to prevent sticking.

Heat a large, non-stick pan over medium-high heat and drizzle in a bit of oil. Add the tofu and cook, turning occasionally, till well browned on both sides. Transfer to a plate. Add a bit more oil and add the kale, cooking till wilted – transfer to the plate with the tofu. Add the drained noodles to the pan and cook till lightly browned and a little crispy. Add a bit of soy sauce and sugar and toss to coat. Divide the noodles between two plates and top with the kale and tofu. Serve, passing the dipping sauce.

(print this recipe)

This delicious recipe brought to you by Sheri Silver
https://sherisilver.com/2020/12/28/pan-fried-tofu-with-kale-and-noodles/

Disclosure: This post has been compensated by TofuBud; all opinions are mine alone.