Add A Little Pizazz To Your Dinner Tonight
Sesame Noodles with Coconut Tofu and a Rainbow of Vegetables
A light, delectable dish with a delightful peanuty crunch.
Ingredients
For The Peanut Sauce
- 1/4 cup creamy peanut butter
- 1/4 cup soy sauce
- 3 tablespoons water
- 1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
- 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tablespoon ginger minced
- 1 teaspoon Sambal Oelek
For The Vegetables
- 1 large carrot sliced lengthwise with a peeler
- 2 celery stalks sliced thinly on the diagonal
- 1/2 red bell pepper sliced thinly
- 1/2 orange bell pepper sliced thinly
- 3/4 cups red cabbage sliced thinly
- 1 Serrano pepper or Fresno chili halved seeded, and sliced thinly
- 2 green onions sliced thinly on the diagonal
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
For The Tofu
- 1 block organic firm tofu
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1/4 cup shredded unsweetened coconut
For The Pasta
- 8 oz rice stick noodles or fettuccine, spaghetti or other favorite noodle cooked per manufacturers instructions
For The Garnish
- a sprinkle of black or white sesame seeds
- 1/2 cup cilantro chopped
- 1/2 cup basil chopped
- 2 small Serrano peppers sliced into rounds
- 1 sliced green onion
Instructions
- Place a large pot of salted water onto the stove to boil.
- Combine all of the sauce ingredients into a small bowl, mixing thoroughly with a whisk. Adjust the sauce with more Sambal if you like it hotter or more sugar if you like it sweeter. Set aside.
- Prepare all of your vegetables placing them in a large bowl as you go. Heat the oil in a large non stick frying pan over medium high heat. Saute vegetables for a few minutes until heated through but still crunchy. Remove the vegetables from the pan and place them in the large bowl they were in previously. Set aside to cool.
- Prepare tofu to be cooked by draining it, patting it dry and slicing it lengthwise into 8 equal pieces. Then slice those pieces in half giving you 16 squares. Season each piece with salt and pepper. Heat oil over medium high heat. Cook tofu for 4 minutes undisturbed on each side. Then gently sprinkle half the coconut over each piece of tofu and pat it down. Turn the tofu and cook the coconut onto it's surface. Repeat on other side with the rest of the coconut. Turning the pieces til they are golden brown on each side about 2 minutes. Remove tofu from the pan onto a large plate or platter, and set aside.
- Cook rice noodles or pasta per package instructions. Drain and set aside in a bowl.
- Pour half the sauce over the pasta and toss to coat. Sprinkle the pasta with sesame seeds.
- Serve the pasta along side of the vegetables and tofu on the platter and garnish with cilantro, basil, Serrano peppers and green onions. Serve the rest of the sauce on the side for people to drizzle over the top. I like this dish room temperature or just a little warm, but if you like it hot, reheat all the ingredients before plating.
- Sounds like a big process, but well worth it, and chopping is very therapeutic.
