Like chocolate and mint, or raisin and cinnamon, ginger and lime are two flavors that are meant to be together. The spiciness of the ginger mixes with the tangy citrus of lime juice and zest to pack one heck of flavor punch. And limes, much like their friends lemons, are teeming with nutritional benefits, so it’s a win-win situation.
This recipe might sound a little complicated because you’ve gotta marinate and then roast your tofu, cook some noodles, saute some veg and make a sauce. I know, it sounds like a lot of work, right? But here is the thing, none of it is hard. And you can easily prepare your tofu in advance and then toss it in when you are ready if you don’t want to do it all in one go. I won’t tell anyone and it will still be delicious. All of these steps combine to make a flavorful noodle bowl that is packed with crispy veggies and easily enjoyed hot or cold.
For the recipe I used soba noodles, these are a thin Japanese noodle made of buckwheat . I love them because they are available on the cheap at Asian markets and they feel sort of exotic to cook with. If you don’t have any readily available, this recipe would also work well with whole wheat spaghetti noodles.
This roasted tofu? It is seriously good. I was inspired to give the roasting method a shot after reading about how Gluten-free Girl whipped up some crispy on the outside, chewy on the inside tofu for dipping. I let these tasty cubes marinate over night to get a little more of flavor into the bean curd. The result was something so yummy that my husband and I picked out all of the pieces from the bowl and gobbled them up so that there was none left to go with the leftover noodles! I might have to cook up a big batch of this stuff so that I can always have some in the fridge to throw on salads.
- 1 package of soba noodles
- 1 LB extra firm tofu
- 1½ cups of trimmed and halved snow peas
- 2 cups of broccoli slaw from TJ’s OR 2 julienned carrot and 1½ cups of broccoli florets
- ¼ cup toasted sesame oil
- ¼ cup rice vinegar
- ½ cup low sodium soy sauce
- 2 fresh limes, zested and juiced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon fresh ginger, minced
- 1 teaspoon fresh black pepper
- In a bowl, whisk together a marinade for the tofu (not included in above ingredients): ¼ cup low sodium soy sauce, 2 chopped cloves of garlic, 1 TB grated fresh ginger, 2 TB sesame oil, 1 tsp Chinese allspice.
- Chop tofu into 1 inch cubes, place in tupperware, pour the marinade on top, cover, shake container gently to coat pieces, and place in refrigerator for 1-24 hours.
- Heat oven to 450 and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Place marinated tofu cubes on sheet and brush lightly with olive oil. Cook for 30 minutes, flipping them over halfway through. Remove from oven when they look crispy & delicious.
- Prepare soba noodles according to directions on package. Take care not to over cook them, or they will become a big glutenous mass. When noodles are drained, rinse with cold water to prevent stickiness.
- Make ginger lime sauce (ingredients listed above): whisk together toasted sesame oil, rice vinegar, low sodium soy sauce, lime juice, zest, garlic, pepper and ginger. Set sauce aside.
- In a large pan combine all vegetables, add 2 tbsp of water or veggie stock, cover and steam for a couple of minutes. Just until the colors get vibrant.
- In a large bowl combine noodles, veggies, and tofu cubes. Just before serving add gently ginger lime sauce and gently toss.
- Serve in bowls and top with sesame seeds if desired. Delicious hot or cold.
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
Please make this for me when I visit!! I love soba noodles!
You course! Come visit & you can have whatever you liiiii-ike.