Stir Fry w/ Tofu, Zucchini, Summer Squash, Peppers, & Soba
This Tofu Stir Fry consists of yellow crookneck squash, zucchini, red bell pepper, jalapeño, garlic, ginger, tamari, rice vinegar, soba noodles, vegetable broth, fried tofu, and green onions. It's a great recipe to mix and match in your own produce and flavor profiles. As well as a great opportunity to break out the wok. You can also use any other large skillet or sauté, though. Just adjust the temperature and amount of oil needed to fry the fruits and vegetables without them sticking.
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 zucchini sliced or julienned
- red bell pepper sliced or julienned
- 1 jalapeño sliced or julienned (optional)
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 2 tsp. ginger minced
- 2 tbsp. tamari ~2 tbsp., or to taste (or soy sauce)
- 2 tbsp. rice vinegar ~2 tbsp., or to taste
- 16 oz. vegetable broth (optional)
- 4 oz. soba noodles (or rice noodles)
- 1/2 c. green onions diced (scallions)
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 to the wok (all except for the green onions) 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.
- Stir in the tofu and green onions. Cook for another 5 minutes, or until the tofu has heated again.
- 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.