15-Minute Crispy Tofu Noodle Bowl with Peanut Lime Sauce
Hello again! It’s Thursday so that means another blog post coming at you. I try to mix up my weekly posts between recipes, nutrition tips and tricks, and more personal/lifestyle-type posts BUT lately I’ve just been feeling more inspired with my camera and in the kitchen so this week I’ve got another delicious (and easy!) recipe lined up for you.
When it comes to weekday meal preparation, I’m all about simple. Simple meals and simple snacks made with simple, nutritious foods (most of the time!). When it’s been a long day at the hospital or a busy day in the kitchen creating + shooting recipes, I don’t often feel like spending a ton of time and effort cooking. I’m sure most of you can relate.
Cue this recipe. I actually created this recipe for lunch one day when I needed something to share on Instagram but had already spent my entire morning cooking and baking for the blog and my Instagram page. I wanted something that would come together quick, easily, and beautifully (for the gram’, you know). I had a bag of rice noodles in the pantry from making pad thai a few weeks ago, a block of tofu in the fridge, and needed some veg on the side so I went with broccoli.
I used to think that crispy tofu wasn’t very easy to achieve. I was wrong. I’ve learned that you just need to ensure to use enough oil and that your frying pan is hot enough. You can also swap the broccoli for any other vegetables that you might have on hand. Bell peppers would make a great addition to this bowl, too! As for a sauce, my go-to asian-style sauce is almost always a version of peanut sauce. Peanut-orange, peanut-lime, spicy peanut, there’s just something about a savoury peanut sauce that I have never been able to get enough of. Also, peanut sauce rounds out this meal nicely by adding healthy fats. Win!
This recipe probably takes 15 minutes tops to come together. You can boil the water for the noodles while you pan-fry the tofu and mix up the sauce. Then steam your veg in the microwave while the noodles cook (about 3-4 minutes) at the end. The final product is a delicious, plant-based meal – perfect for lunch OR dinner – that covers all of your satisfying-meal bases. Protein (tofu), carbs (noodles), healthy fat (peanut sauce) AND fibre (broccoli)! As always, leave a comment or tag me on Instagram if you make this recipe!
Happy 15-minute cooking!
Crispy Tofu Noodle Bowl with Peanut Lime Sauce
Ingredients
- 2 nests rice noodles, cooked
- 1/2 block extra-firm tofu, cut into cubes
- 1 tbsp sesame oil
- 1 medium head broccoli, cut into florets
Peanut Lime Sauce
- 2 tbsp natural peanut butter
- 2 tbsp lime juice
- 1/2 tsp srirachia, optional
- 1/2 tbsp reduced-sodium soy sauce
- 2 tsp pure maple syrup
- 3-4 tbsp hot water
Instructions
- Bring water in a medium pot to boil and cook noodles according to package directions. While you're waiting for water to boil you can start frying your tofu cubes. In a medium frying pan, heat sesame oil over medium-high heat. Place tofu cubes in hot oil (they should sizzle) and fry for 2-3 minutes (until golden brown) before flipping the cubes and frying on the other side for another 2-3 minutes. Once the tofu is done, reduce heat and leave on pan until it's time to assemble your bowls.
- Steam broccoli and make your sauce. Place broccoli in a microwave-safe container and pour about 2 centimetres of water into container. Place a damp paper towel over container and microwave for 3-4 minutes to steam broccoli. Then whisk together sauce ingredients until smooth, creamy, and thin enough to pour. You made need to add more hot water.
- Assemble bowls with noodles, crispy tofu cubes and steamed broccoli/veggies. Drizzle with peanut sauce and enjoy!
