Zucchini ginger udon noodles with maple tofu: a simple 30 minute dinner with lots of veg, herbs and crispy bits. Jump to recipe
We are back with a new recipe and a new lockdown!! Two things that seem to go hand in hand these days – apparently the only moments I have available to cook/test/photograph are when forced to stay home. It’s lockdown V5 in Melbourne (just to recap, here we have lockdown one (passionfruit meringue bars), two (pear miso galette; rhubarb custard brûlée tarts), three (pannacotta lamington cake) and four (tiramisu tart) for a bit of viewing nostalgia/PTSD). Not much to say about it that has not already been said before: just feeling particularly stagnant this time around. So much for those dinners out! Those holidays! Seeing friends! Seeing more than the four walls of our house! (Great four walls, to be fair).
Anyway. Zucchini ginger udon noodles with maple tofu. It’s a mouthful but I couldn’t work out how to describe it better (let me know if you come up with an alternative). First we have LOTS of thinly sliced zucchini, cooked down low and slow a la @ottolenghi. No browning allowed. Cook gently with oil, salt, ginger and garlic for 15-20 minutes, stirring whenever you remember, until it’s soft, almost translucent and very fragrant. Meanwhile you soak the tofu in a sesame, maple and soy combination, chop some herbs, throw together the lime/fish sauce dressing and cook the udon. Careful with the latter or it’ll end up soft and soggy, opposite of al dente, not what we want. Stir it all together and adorn with your favourite crispy bits – fried shallots, togarashi, extra herbs and the tofu you’ve just pan fried. It might make you feel better about lockdown. It might not either (that would be too much to promise).
- 700-800 g zucchini
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 teaspoon kosher slat
- 1 clove garlic
- 1 tbsp finely grated ginger
- 400 g udon noodles (enough for 3-4 servings – I used the parcooked ones)
- 1/2 cup roughly chopped coriander
- 1/2 cup roughly chopped mint
- 4 spring onion finely sliced
- fried shallots and toasted sesame seeds or togarashi to serve
- Juice of a lime – about 2 tablespoons
- 2 teaspoons fish sauce
- 2 teaspoon soy
- 1 teaspoon maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- 1 red chilli finely chopped (deseed or use less for less spice)
- 300 g extra firm tofu
- 2 teaspoons soy
- 2 teaspoons maple syrup
- 2 teaspoons sesame oil
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Finely slice the zucchini width-ways on a slight diagonal. Heat a large pan over low heat and slowly cook the zucchini (all of it) with the olive oil, salt, garlic and ginger. Keep the heat low and intermittently stir the zucchini for about 20 minutes until soft and translucent but not browned and still holding their shape.
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Meanwhile, chop the tofu into 1cm cubes. Place in a single layer and stir through the soy, maple and sesame oil to coat.
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Stir all the dressing ingredients together and set aside.
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Cook the udon noodles according to packet instructions (ere on the side of less, they go soft quickly). Refresh under cold water.
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Cook the tofu over medium-high heat in a non stick pan until browned on most sides.
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When the zucchini are done, turn off the heat and add the noodles, herbs, spring onion and dressing. Gently toss together.
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Serve up with the tofu, fried shallots and sesame seeds. Also very good with a soft boiled egg on top.
I just made this tonight. Delicious. I am a fan. I will be making many more of your recipes.
Thanks so much Andrea, that is so lovely to hear!
Holy moley! I made the noodles and served them with jammy boiled eggs instead of tofu (I was being lazy 😏). It was insanely delicious and got the big thumbs up to make again. Soooooo good. Thanks for sharing your creation!
Yay so glad to hear!! Jammy boiled eggs sound equally good – I’m a huge fan of adding eggs to dinner haha.