Tofu and Rice Noodle Stir-fry

Tofu and Rice Noodle Stir-fry

Hi everyone, I am back!  I am done with finals, done with classes, done with my whole entire undergrad, but more importantly, I have myself a job! Yes, everything fell into place quite nicely and believe me this is very good news for my blog.  This means for the next few weeks (while I relax a bit and wait to start my job) I will be cooking A LOT and trying lots of different things!

So first item that I made for my family was a very nice Asian inspired dish.  I have been making a lot of desserts so I thought I should make some main dishes.  This turned out really good and even the kiddies liked it.  And I don't know about you, but I love me my TOFU! Oh and the best part is this dish is very healthy, low-fat and takes about 30 minutes total to make! :D

Ingredients for Stir-fry

Ingredients (5-7 servings):

8 oz. rice stick noodles

1.5 cup cubed tofu (firm, extra firm, or stir fried tofu works)

2 tsp cornstarch

3 tbsp soy sauce

1 tsp ginger

1 tsp garlic

1/2 cup red onion

2 red bell pepper

2 1/2 tbsp vegetable or canola oil

1/2 cup chicken stock (or vegetarian stock)

3 cups bean sprouts

-----for stir-fry sauce-----

2 tbsp soy sauce

1 tbsp fish sauce

1 tsp sugar

1 tbsp lime juice

1/4 cup chicken stock (or vegetarian stock)

-----for garnishing items (optional)-----

1 tsp coriander powder

1/2 cup bean sprouts

1/2 cup scallions

1/2 cilantro

sriracha sauce to taste

Instructions:
1. Place a pot on the stove top with 3 cups of water on high heat.  Once water is hot, lower heat to medium-low and let rice sticks soak for about 10 minutes or until they are soft, but still a bit firm.  Once they are done, drain the water and wash noodles with cold water.
2. Mix together all the stir-fry sauce ingredients: soy sauce, fish sauce, sugar, lime juice, and chicken stock.

3. Cut the tofu into cubes.  If using fried tofu, you will not have to do this.  (I think fried tofu would have been a better option for this dish just because the tofu is very delicate. Still delicious though!)

4. Stir together the cornstarch and soy sauce and pour over the tofu.  Let marinade for about 5 minutes.

5. Mince the ginger and garlic.  Cut the red peppers and onions into strips.

6. Heat a wok or a large frying pan with oil.
7. Once oil is hot, add the tofu with all the marinade along with the garlic and ginger.
8. Once marinade has reduced or tofu mixture has become dry, add a few tablespoons of chicken stock every time wok starts to get dry.  Stir until the stock has reduced and then more tablespoons of stock.  Keep adding tablespoons of stock at a time until all chicken stock is done.
9. Add the red peppers and onions to the wok and stir for about 2-3 minutes.

10. Add the rice noodles and stir-fry sauce to the wok.
11. Toss everything together in the wok like you would a salad, making sure to evenly coat the rice noodles.
12. Add the bean sprouts and toss again.
13. Remove from heat, and taste. Add 1 tbsp of fish sauce or soy sauce if not salty enough. If too salty, add another squeeze of lime juice.
14. Place on serving plate and sprinkle coriander power on top.
15. Garnish with bean sprouts, scallions, and cilantro.  Add a lime slice and sriracha on the side.
16. ENJOY!