Buckwheat Noodles. Baked Tofu. Miso Soup
I’ve made this dish a few times now because its super easy, good for you, cheap, and lets be honest its delicious. I’ve made it when I had time to take on it, but most of the time I make it when I’m in a pinch. My family was driving to visit me in San Diego from Phoenix. They were supposed to get in early enough for us all to go out for sushi, but as life would have it the sun had set, people were getting on freeways I’ve never of, and sushi deli was going to close by the time they arrive. I decided dinner on the table when they walked in would be a nice surprise after a long drive anyhow. This bowl of goodness instantly popped into my head. I actually had all the ingredients around the house except the cilantro which I snagged while I was out. My family, at long last, arrived at my home to long overdue hugs and the smell of asian comfort soup. My mom begged for the recipe, my brother slurped up every last drop and my Dad, I think, longed for seconds. There’s nothing like a bowl of soup and noodles to make everyone feel like their at home.
(PS As I was in a hurry the photos are, sadly, taken with my phone.)
Ingredients:
A bunch and a half of buckwheat noodles (they come pre portioned usually otherwise enough to serve 4)
1 packet of TJ Miso Soup
1/2 cup of mint, basil and cilantro combined
Two boxes of extra firm tofu
1/2 -3/4 cup of TJ Soyaki marinade
Dash of ground ginger (fresh is optional)
Dash of cumin
Dash of cayenne pepper
2 cups of broccoli florrets
1 zucchini in 3 inch sticks or half mooned
1/2 large red onion diced
1 lime
sea salt to taste
olive oil as needed to saute the veggies and brown the tofu
The Creation:
I usually saute the tofu after they marinate but there just wasn’t time for such things. Before I started anything I turned the oven on to bake at 400 and continued the rest of my prepping. I took my drained tofu and sliced into thirds so it would fit in a standard glass baking dish. I poured on a marinade of soy, garlic, sesame oil, rice vinegar, sriracha, and sesame seeds (Trader Joes Soyaki marinade is LITERALLY the same thing) and made sure all the tofu was covered. I topped it with ground ginger, sea salt, cumin, and cayenne pepper. As that sat I continued cutting cilantro and mint for garnish, boiling water for the miso and noodles, and chopping onions and zucchini to saute. Bonus: this recipe can be made a few different ways : different herbs, different veggies, etc. This time I chose to saute some red onions and zucchini in a bit of olive oil and sea salt, but I love doing this recipe with shittake mushrooms and asparagus when I have them. (If you have fresh ginger on hand this is the perfect time to use it!). Once the oven is ready to go throw in the tofu and let ‘em bake!
While the tofu baked and the veggies were getting delicious in the pan I poured a packet of Trader Joe’s Miso Soup (sorry cheater version when I’m in a pinch but its SUPER good!) into my pot of boiling water, stirred, and let it do its thing. After the soup was boiling again I through in some broccoli and the soba noodles. (You have to be careful to take the noodles out when they are done because not only will they get mushy but they will just end up absorbing all the great miso broth for your soup). Remove the veggies you were sauteing when they are done as well.
After 10-15 minuted of being in the oven the tofu should be hot and bubbling in the oven. Take out the pieces, cut them into strips and throw them into the same pan in which you sauteed your veggies. Brown them up and you are good to go. Now for “bowling” everything together. Portion out the soup, noodles, and broccoli into four bowls, split all the veggies four ways right on top, fan out your beautifully browned and baked tofu (5-7 pieces per bowl) and now garnish with your cilantro and mint. It also tastes amazing with basil if you have it. Squeeze a lime over the everything. Serve with chopsticks and a spoon and slurp away.
