Sunshine tofu & noodles one of those 'happy' dishes. The taste is vibrant with Thai red curry paste, mandarin oranges and crunchy vegetables. Baked tofu and rice noodles make it a meal. If it’s too dark or rainy for the beach, lets go for the next best thing – sunshine tofu & noodles.
Tofu sunbathing
If you’ve looked at my other tofu recipes, it won’t come as a surprise that I am a big fan of marinating tofu prior to cooking it. Tofu just begs for added flavor and it takes on a marinade like a champion. The longer you marinate it, the more intense the flavor. I prefer to bake tofu rather than dry-fry it. I find it has a better texture and dry-frying can be tricky. Plus, if you use parchment paper on your baking tray, you are mess free.
Wok on the sunny side
I rounded up my sunniest vegetables for mandarin Thai tofu & noodles. Despite having noodles in this recipe (hence the name), I just had to have bean sprouts. I have no discipline with it comes to sprouts. You may have a few of your own veggie favs to add. This is about happiness, so bring it.
Always shower after swimming
Rice noodles are a busy cook’s best friend. Lately, I’ve been buying the brown rice noodles that you prepare by putting them in boiling water for 3 minutes. Rice noodles really need a rinse after being cooked. This will remove the surface starch, making them less sticky. You can also use wok noodles for this recipe (the kind that go directly from package to wok).
Final thoughts
We need sunshine. It’s nutrition for our soul. If you live in a place where the Sun is often on holiday (like I do), then you must seek alternatives (and I’m not talking tanning bed). What about a good belly laugh, a dance in the kitchen, guilt-free food? Nurture those harmless happiness triggers and let them break through the clouds. Peace.
sunshine tofu & noodles
Sunshine tofu & noodles will brighten up your day with a flavorful spicy sauce, mandarin oranges, crunchy vegetables, baked tofu and rice noodles.
- Prep Time: 20
- Cook Time: 25
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Category: Main Courses
- Method: Bake/Stove top
- Cuisine: Plant-based
Ingredients
Tofu
- 1 - 8 oz. block tofu
- 1 – 10 oz (300 gm) can mandarin oranges (save the juice)
- 2 Tbsp. Thai red curry paste
- 2 Tbsp. tamari or soy sauce
Vegetables & noodles
- 1 medium onion, sliced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 7-8 oz. (200 gm) sugar snap peas or pea pods
- 9 oz. (250 gm) bean sprouts
- 2 medium carrots diced
- 1 yellow bell pepper sliced
- Mandarin oranges (that you previously drained)
- 4 oz (100 gm) Rice noodles (I used 2 blocks of an 8 oz bag)
Sauce
- 2 Tbsp. Thai red curry paste
- 2 Tbsp. tamari or soy sauce
- 2 Tbsp. lime juice
- remaining mandarin orange juice (about ½ cup)
Instructions
- Drain the mandarin oranges and save the juice from the can.
- Slice the tofu into small strips 1 ½ by ½ inch strips (¼ in thick).
- In a shallow bowl, combine ¼ cup juice from the mandarin oranges, 2 Tbsp. tamari or soy sauce and 2 Tbsp. Thai red curry paste.
- Add the tofu cubes and mix them so that they are covered on all sides. Set aside and allow to marinate for at least 30 minutes (the longer, the better so you can prepare this the day before).
- When the tofu has marinated, preheat the oven to 4250 F (2250 C).
- Place the tofu on a baking sheet (line the sheet with parchment paper if desired) and bake it for 15 minutes, turn and bake for another 10 or until the tofu is browned and a bit firm.
- While the tofu bakes, start the rice noodles. You’ll be rinsing the rice noodles and putting them in the hot wok so it’s ok if they cool off a bit.
- Prep the onions, garlic, snap peas, bean sprouts, carrots, and pepper.
- In a small bowl, make the sauce by combining the Thai red curry paste, 2 Tbsp. tamari or soy sauce, 2 Tbsp. lime juice and the remaining juice from the mandarin oranges (should be about ½ to ¾ cup). Set aside.
- Heat a wok or large skillet and sauté the onions for about 3 minutes. Add the garlic, snap peas, bean sprouts, carrots and pepper and sauté everything for another 4-5 minutes.
- Mix in the mandarin oranges and the sauce, then add the noodles. Allow everything to combine for another 2 minutes.
- Get that sunshine on your plate ?.
Notes
- If you want to speed up the process, you can cook the tofu first in your wok. Make sure the wok is hot and you constantly move the tofu. Press on the tofu pieces as you cook them to help firm them up. This should take about 5-8 minutes. Be careful, it’s easy to overcook the outside and under cook the inside.
- I’ve made this dish by substituting leftover rice rather than noodles. Just follow the same process.
- Squeeze fresh lime juice over the plated tofu & noodles for extra flavor.
Keywords: sunshine tofu & noodles
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