I could definitely eat noodle bowls every day. They are so versatile and can be made with all kinds of vegetables and grains. They are usually made with a broth but I wanted something different. So I made a creamy sauce instead of the traditional soy lime marinade just to change it up a bit. It’s not difficult to make at all…you’ll just need to soak the cashews ahead of time.
While you have the tofu pressing, make the cashew sauce. After that this dish comes together fairly quickly. I make Pad Thai often and since I always have the ingredients for it, the base of this bowl is pretty much the same … combining the crunchy texture of carrots, peanuts and cucumbers with the freshness of cilantro and lime.
tofu veggie noodle bowl with a curried cashew sauce
makes 2 bowls
(This recipe can easily be doubled)
ingredients:
sauce
1c raw cashews, soaked for 4-6 hours
2 limes
1t curry powder
1t sea salt
1T maple syrup
2 cloves garlic
1T fresh ginger, grated
1 jalapeño, seeds removed
1T tamari
1t coriander seeds
1c water
2T olive oil or melted coconut oil
everything else
pad this noodles, I used 1/2 of the box
1 block firm tofu, drained and pressed
2T coconut oil
1 fresh lime, cut into wedges
1/2c fresh cilantro
2 scallions, sliced thin
1-2 carrots, peeled and julienned
1c cucumber, peeled, seeded & sliced into moons (if you can get the persian cucumbers, leave them unpeeled & slice into rounds)
1/4c chopped peanuts, roasted & salted
how to:
Drain and rinse the soaked cashews and add them along with all of the other ingredients for the sauce into a high speed blender. Blend until smooth, you may need to scrape down the sides and add a bit more water if it seems too thick. Season to taste. Set aside
Boil the noodles, drain & rinse with cold water. Rice noodle will stick together very quickly if you don’t rinse them. Set aside.
Cut the pressed tofu into small 1″ pieces. Heat up the coconut oil in a skillet on medium heat and add the tofu. While the tofu is cooking, prep the carrots, cucumbers and cilantro and set aside in separate bowls. Flip the tofu pieces over to make sure they brown on all sides. When they are almost done browning, add the carrots and sauté until they are just warmed through. Add the noodles and toss, making sure the tofu and carrots are mixed well with the noodles. Divide into bowls and top with the fresh cilantro, a wedge of lime, chopped peanuts and cashew sauce. Mix well so that the sauce coats everything.
enjoy
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