Spicy Tofu Noodles With Chicken Recipes

SWEET & SPICY HOT CHILI CHICKEN NOODLES WITH BASIL

Steps:

• Add sesame oil to a large pot and place over medium-high heat. Add ground chicken to the pot and season generously with salt and pepper. Brown the meat and break up into medium-sized chunks; cooking for about 5 minutes or until nice and golden underneath. Next, add in ginger, garlic, coconut sugar to the chicken and continue to cook about 4-5 minutes longer or until meat is almost all the way cooked, breaking up into smaller chunks as you cook it.
• Once meat is cooked, stir in tomato paste, fresh chopped basil and hot chili paste for 30 seconds to 1 minute, then add in the soy sauce, rice vinegar and water. Bring to a simmer, then reduce heat to low and cook uncovered, stirring every so often until sauce begins to thicken. This should take about 30 minutes.
• While the sauce cooks, you can make your pasta: cook pasta until al dente according to directions on the package. Once pasta is done, drain, then add back to the pot with the meat sauce (once it is done cooking!) and stir well to allow the meat to coat the noodles. Divide noodles into bowls and garnish with LOTS of basil ribbons, chopped cashews/peanuts extra red pepper flakes, if desired. Serves 4.

SPICY RICE NOODLES WITH CRISPY TOFU AND SPINACH

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 400 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. As the oven heats, press the tofu (you can do this by sandwiching the block in paper towels and placing a cutting board, plus a heavy pot, can or book on top).
• Cut the tofu into 1/2-inch cubes and place in a medium bowl. Add the salt and oils, and toss to combine.
• Sprinkle the cornstarch, panko and sesame seeds, if using, and toss gently so the tofu cubes are coated.
• Spread on the prepared sheet and bake for 30 to 35 minutes, flipping once, until golden-brown and crisp.
• While the tofu bakes, start the noodles: Put the dry rice noodles in a big, wide bowl. Fill a kettle, bring the water to a boil, and pour the boiling water over the noodles to cover. Set aside for 6 to 10 minutes, until the noodles are fully rehydrated and soft. (Time may vary by brand.) Then drain, rinse with cold water, and drain again. Transfer noodles to a large bowl.
• As the noodles soak, prepare the spicy sesame oil: In a small pot, combine sesame oil, peanut oil, garlic, ginger, red-pepper flakes and sesame seeds. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook on the lowest heat for 10 to 12 minutes, until the garlic slices turn golden.
• Meanwhile, on your cutting board, make a small mound with the teaspoon of salt. Place the basil and the scallions on top, and use your knife to furiously chop and smash until you have a rough paste.
• Mix the basil paste into the bowl of rice noodles. Pile the baby spinach on top. Pour at least half of the hot oil immediately over the spinach, tossing so that the heat wilts the leaves slightly. Then add the juice of the 1/2 lime and toss to combine. Taste for salt and lime juice, and add more oil as you see fit.
• Arrange the tofu on top of the noodles, or mix them in so that the cubes hide like little treasures. For extra flair, garnish with additional sesame seeds and a drizzle of toasted sesame oil.

SWEET AND SPICY TOFU WITH SOBA NOODLES

Steps:

• Drain the tofu in a colander, or dry on paper-towel lined plate while you prep the remaining ingredients, about 10 minutes. Meanwhile, bring a small pot of water to a boil for the soba noodles.
• Cut tofu into 1-inch cubes. Heat a cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat. Add the vegetable oil and 1 tablespoon of the sesame oil. When the oil shimmers, add the tofu in a single layer, in batches if needed and cook until golden on all sides, turning as needed when the tofu releases easily from the pan, about 8 to 10 minutes total. Lift the tofu out of the pan with a spatula and transfer to a new paper-towel-lined plate.
• Meanwhile, cook the soba in boiling water for 5 to 8 minutes (or according to package directions), until just al dente, stirring frequently. Drain and rinse in cold water until the noodles no longer feel sticky.
• Add garlic, ginger and whites of the onions to the skillet, along with the remaining tablespoon sesame oil, reduce the heat to medium, and cook until the oil is fragrant, stirring constantly, about 1 minute.
• Add cooked and drained soba noodles to the pan, along with soy sauce, sugar, black pepper, red pepper and reserved green onions; toss together until the noodles are coated. Gently toss in the tofu until all the pieces are covered in the sauce.
• Remove from the heat, and sprinkle cucumber, radish and cilantro on top. Serve warm or at room temperature, with lime.

SPICY SESAME NOODLES WITH CHICKEN AND PEANUTS

Steps:

• In a medium heatproof bowl, stir together the red-pepper flakes, soy sauce and sesame oil. Set next to the stovetop.
• Bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Meanwhile, in a large (12-inch) skillet over medium heat, cook the 1/2 cup oil, peanuts and orange rind, shaking the pan occasionally, until the peanuts are golden and bubbling, 3 to 5 minutes. Immediately pour the contents of the skillet over the red-pepper mixture (be careful of splattering!) and set aside.
• Meanwhile, in the same skillet, heat the remaining tablespoon oil over medium-high. Add the chicken and press it down with a wooden spoon into a thin layer. Season with salt and a generous amount of black pepper and cook, without stirring, occasionally pressing the layer of chicken down, until the bottom is browned, 5 to 7 minutes. Break the chicken up into small pieces and cook, stirring occasionally, until cooked through, 1 to 2 minutes more.
• While the chicken cooks, cook the noodles according to package directions, until chewy but not soft. Drain and toss with a bit of sesame oil.
• Remove and discard the orange rind from the chile oil. Off the heat, add enough chile oil to coat the chicken and stir, scraping up any browned bits from the pan. Add the noodles and toss, adding more chile oil to fully coat the noodles and chicken. (If you don't use all of the chile oil, you can store it in the refrigerator for 2 weeks in an airtight container.) Top with chives and serve at once.

CRISPY SHEET-PAN NOODLES WITH GLAZED TOFU

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 450 degrees and place one rack on the top and one on the bottom. Fill a kettle or medium pot with water (about 8 cups) and bring to a boil. Place the noodles in a heat-proof bowl and cover with boiling water. Soak for 5 minutes, then drain. Set aside the bowl to use in Step 5.
• Make the marinade: In a medium bowl, whisk to combine the hoisin sauce, sesame oil, maple syrup, garlic and sesame seeds.
• Place the noodles on a sheet pan. Add the sesame oil, 1 tablespoon of neutral oil, soy sauce, and 1/2 teaspoon of kosher salt. Toss to combine, then spread the noodles out evenly.
• Dip each tofu slice into the marinade, coating both sides, then add them to the sheet pan, pushing the noodles aside so that the tofu touches the pan and doesn't just sit on top of the noodles. Place on the bottom rack of the oven and bake for 15 minutes. Reserve excess marinade.
• Place the baby bok choy into the reserved bowl, then add the remaining 1 tablespoon of neutral oil and 1/2 teaspoon of kosher salt, and toss to coat.
• Remove the sheet pan from the oven (the noodles should be crisp on the bottom and around the edges) and add the bok choy to the pan. Return the sheet pan to the top rack of the oven and bake for 4 to 7 minutes until the greens are vibrant with crispy edges, and the top of the noodles are crispy. Drizzle with the remaining marinade, top with cilantro leaves and serve.

STICKY TOFU WITH NOODLES

Steps:

• Using a peeler, cut thin ribbons off the cucumber, leaving the seeds behind. Put the ribbons in a bowl and set aside. Gently heat the vinegar, sugar, 1/4 tsp salt and 100ml water in a saucepan over a medium heat for 3-5 mins until the sugar dissolves, then pour over the cucumbers and leave to pickle in the fridge while you prepare the tofu.
• Heat all but 1 tbsp of the oil in a large, non-stick frying pan over a medium heat until bubbles begin to rise to the surface. Add the tofu and fry for 7-10 mins, turning halfway, until the tofu is evenly golden brown. Remove from the pan and set aside on kitchen paper. In a small bowl, whisk together the honey and miso. Spread the sesame seeds out on a plate. Brush the fried tofu with the sticky honey sauce and set aside any leftovers. Coat the tofu evenly in the seeds, sprinkle with a little salt and leave in a warm place.
• Cook the noodles following pack instructions, then drain and rinse in cold water. Return the frying pan to the heat, toss the noodles with the rest of the oil, the remaining sauce and 1 tbsp of the cucumber pickling liquid. Cook for 3 mins until warmed through. Divide the noodles between bowls and top with the tofu, bundles of cucumber and the spring onion.