Stir Fry w/ Fried Tofu, Broccoli, Tahini, & Peanuts

It's false spring. It's 50 degrees. There are sunny skies. I left my jacket in the car three days ago never went back out to get it. But it's supposed to drop 40 degrees and snow 3-6 inches by Thursday. Which I'm delighted about because I absolutely adore snow! Although we're currently in the midst of turning off the heat, opening up all of the windows, and thinking about the seedlings we're going to plant after last frost. In 2 or 3 months. I feel like spring food, though, because the weather is so warm. Winter is still looming around the corner, though. So, instead of getting into full on fresh fruit and vegetable mode (because it is still fully winter), I've been making stir fry the last couple of days. I just made Zucchini Stir Fry and now I'm making Broccoli Stir Fry.

I think that stir fry is a suitable I can't decide whether I want summer or winter food because it's very similar to vermicelli salads. Typically, I'll cut up fresh fruits and vegetables; toss them in tahini, tamari, and rice vinegar; and stir in vermicelli rice noodles. I often make this in the summertime when seasonal produce is in season and ripening in the garden. Obviously this is in shorter demand in the winter, when fresh fruits and vegetables are going to be more sparse. So, I tend to make more hot food during the winter. Both for the warmth in my mouth, the heat that comes from slowly simmering something on the stove in roasting in the oven, and because produce just isn't as good off-season.

I've decided to combine the desire for fresh produce during the spring with the fact that it is still in fact winter and the produce is better cooked. And have made stir fry. Which is essentially fried vermicelli salads with soba, instead of vermicelli. Although you could easily mix and match whatever noodle of choice.

Gallery

Variations of Broccoli Stir Fry

I don't always make stir fry because I oftentimes don't fry it and make vermicelli salad, instead. Although both are absolutely delicious variations of quite similar meals. You could easily take the ingredients from either and turn them into a vermicelli salad or stir fry. As always, also feel free to mix and match your own favorite fruit, vegetable, and seasoning.

Vermicelli Salad w/ Tofu & Toasted Peanuts

Stir Fry w/ Tofu, Zucchini, Summer Squash, Peppers, & Soba

Salad w/ Vermicelli, Bell Peppers, & Peanuts

Stir Fry w/ Fried Tofu, Broccoli, Tahini, & Peanuts

This Broccoli Stir Fry consists of yellow summer squash, red bell pepper, garlic, ginger, tahini, tamari, rice vinegar, peanuts, vegetable broth, and soba noodles. It's a great single-pot vegan recipe. Just fry the tofu, add in your favorite fruits and vegetables, mix the seasoning, and soften the noodles with vegetable broth in the same pan. I used a wok for this, but you could easily make this in a large skillet, pot, or Dutch oven. It's also a great recipe to mix and match your own produce to fit your own personal culinary tastes.

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Prep Time 10

Cook Time 34

Total Time 44

Course Main Course

Cuisine Asian, Chinese

Servings 4 servings

Equipment

Wok (optional)

Ingredients

14 oz. tofu firm or extra firm, cubed
hefty dash sesame oil (at least 2 tbsp.)
1 yellow squash sliced or julienned (or summer squash of choice)
1 red bell pepper sliced or julienned
2 cloves garlic minced
2 tsp. ginger minced
2 tbsp. tahini (or peanut butter)
2 tbsp. tamari (or soy sauce)
2 tbsp. rice vinegar
1/3 c. peanuts whole or crushed
16 oz. vegetable broth
4 oz. soba noodles

Instructions

Fry Tofu

Drain the tofu and wrap in paper towels to absorb the moisture.
It's important to absorb as much water out of the tofu as you can. Oil is less dense than water, so the molecules repel one another. With cold ingredients, this causes separation. When you're frying, though, this can cause boiling hot oil to spray back at you.
Meanwhile, preheat oil in a wok over medium-high heat.
When the wok has preheated and the majority of the water has absorbed into the paper towels, cut the tofu into 1/2-inch cubes. Carefully add to the wok. Fry until golden brown. This should take about 5-10 minutes. Just make sure to stir until all sides are evenly fried.
Remove from heat and wrap again in paper towels to absorb the excess oil.

Fry Produce

Add finely sliced produce and peanuts to the wok and cook until softened, making sure to stir occasionally. I cooked mine for about 10-15 minutes. Although this time can vary depending on how much produce you have, how often you stir it, and personal preference for doneness.

Cook Soba Noodles

Add vegetable broth and soba to the wok. Stir fairly regularly until the noodles have absorbed the vegetable broth and softened. I cooked mine for about 5 minutes. Although this time can vary depending on the cooking temperature.
Alternatively, you can cook the soba in a separate pot with water and then add in to the stir fry. This will also eliminate the need for vegetable broth.
Serve immediately or refrigerate.

Tips, Tricks, & Notes

You don't necessarily need a wok to make stir fry! I would substitute a cast iron skillet. Although you can sauté in just about any skillet or sauté pan. It is their primary purpose, after all. Woks work particularly well for dishes that you want to stir without worrying about the contents spilling over the edge. But, you can use anything large enough to fit the amount of produce that you add in!
Buckwheat soba noodles are gluten free. Despite what the name might suggest, buckwheat flour is a seed that's entirely unrelated to wheat. You can also substitute rice noodles or even spaghetti noodles. I'd probably add cheese if I made this with linguini. But I almost used vermicelli because it cooks in no time at all.