Sugar Plum Tofu w/ Udon
Why I Love This Recipe
Ingredients You'll Need
16 oz extra firm tofu
8 oz (dry) Udon noodles
3 carrots, sliced diagonally
1 spear broccoli, cut into bite sized pieces
1 cup baby corn
6 shiitake mushrooms, sliced
1/2 cup water chestnuts, sliced
1 red bell pepper, cut into bite sized chunks
olive oil spray
3/4 cup vegetable broth
1/2 cup plum jam
1 TB ginger (freshly grated)
1 TB lemon juice
1 tsp soy sauce
Directions
Preheat oven to 350°F. Slice tofu into five "steaks". Remove excess moisture from tofu by lining a baking sheet with a double layer of paper towels and placing the steaks in a single layer on top of the paper towels. Cover steaks with another double layer of towels and place a baking sheet over the towels. Weight the baking sheet with cans from your pantry. Set aside for 20 minutes.
Cook udon noodles slightly less than called for on package directions; do not overcook. Drain and set aside.
Prepare vegetables. If using dried shiitakes, soak first for 20 minutes. Lightly steam the vegetables for 2 minutes and set aside. If you like your veggies with more crunch, just omit this step.
Lightly spray olive oil in a 9x13 casserole dish. Evenly distribute noodles at bottom of dish. Spread vegetables evenly over noodles. Pour vegetable broth over vegetables and noodles.
In a small bowl, make sauce by mixing plum jam, ginger, lemon juice and soy sauce together. Place tofu "steaks" over vegetables and spoon sauce over tofu. Cover dish and bake for 20 minutes.
Option: for extra texture and flavor, fry the tofu steaks in two tablespoons olive oil until lightly brown prior to placing them over vegetables.
