Creamy Vegan Tofu Noodles
Updated December 20, 2020
Christopher Testani for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews.
- Total Time
- 20 minutes
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
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Ingredients
FOR THE NOODLES
¾ teaspoon kosher salt, plus more as needed
12 ounces thick Chinese wheat noodles
1 (14-ounce) package firm tofu, broken into pieces
2 garlic cloves, sliced
½ teaspoon granulated sugar
½ teaspoon five-spice powder
½ cup finely chopped cilantro leaves and tender stems, plus a few sprigs for serving
2 teaspoons sesame oil
Toasted white sesame seeds, for garnish
FOR THE TOPPING
2 tablespoons Chinkiang vinegar (black vinegar), or a combination of 4 teaspoons rice wine vinegar plus 2 teaspoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon chile oil or chile crisp, such as Chiu Chow chile oil
1 scallion, finely chopped
1 (½-inch) piece fresh ginger, peeled and finely chopped
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)
66 grams carbs; 71 milligrams cholesterol; 545 calories; 6 grams monosaturated fat; 8 grams polyunsaturated fat; 3 grams saturated fat; 19 grams fat; 6 grams fiber; 500 milligrams sodium; 30 grams protein; 2 grams sugar
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
- Step 1
Prepare the noodles: Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the noodles and cook according to package instructions until the noodles are just tender, about 6 minutes. Drain, rinse with cold water and drain well again.
- Step 2
As noodles cook, prepare the topping: Add vinegar, soy sauce, chile oil, scallion, ginger and 1 tablespoon water to a small bowl and stir to combine.
- Step 3
Place the tofu, garlic, sugar, five-spice and ¾ teaspoon salt into a blender or food processor and blend, adding about 6 tablespoons of water, 1 tablespoon at a time, until the sauce is completely smooth and creamy. (You may need up to 12 tablespoons of water, depending on your tofu.)
- Step 4
Place the noodles in a large bowl and pour the tofu sauce on top. Add the cilantro and sesame oil, and toss until coated.
- Step 5
To serve, divide the noodles among bowls. Top with the spicy soy-vinegar sauce, sesame seeds and cilantro sprigs.
Private Notes
Comments
We used silken tofu instead and it worked very well - didn’t need the extra water (think we even added less)
I loved this recipe and the only adjustment I’ll make next time is to add the starchy water from cooking the pasta to create the tofu sauce rather than plain tap. It was fine as is but I imagine using this water will make the sauce even creamier and bind to the pasta even better. Food for thought!
Love this recipe. Used silken tofu (all I had on hand) and mistakenly blended cilantro and sesame oil with the other ingredients in step 3. Super yummy. One question: step 2 mentions ginger. Don’t see ginger in the ingredient list.
outrageously delicious. the tofu sauce would also be excellent as a dip (with the cilantro and finishing sauce drizzled on top).
Love this concept, but it needs some tweaking. Which I plan to do. The tofu sauce needs a lot more flavor and a lot more salt. Sautéed garlic on pan before blending Used whole box of dececco linguine Extra garlic and extra ginger Sautéed farmer market mushrooms and farmer Tuscan kale and red onion to add in Italian parsley combined w cilantro Lots more scallion Liberal w seasoning Used a lot more than 12 tbls of water to blend End result is decent but I am not craving this. Will be in the workshop w this one.
*I did see the ginger in the list and added it but don't see where the sugar is supposed to go, so i added it to the blended tofu. We loved this, I used toasted sesame and a bit more ginger than called for and loved it. I hope the leftovers hold up!