Sticky tamarind tofu with lime curry noodles
An easy throw-together meal when speed is in need. Tamarind lends a delicious sweet-yet-sour flavour to the sticky glaze that bathes the crispy tofu. On a bed of Singapore-style noodles, it's stir-fry good times.
Top Tip - be sure to prepare all your ingredients in advance, ready to go for rapid stir-frying. Be sure to use the largest frying pan or wok you have on hand.
hands-on time
30 minutes
30 minutes
total time
4
serves
Ingredients
Sticky tamarind tofu
300g extra firm tofu, drained
3 tbsp canola oil
50g cornflour
¾ tsp sea salt
¾ tsp cracked black pepper
2 tbsp tamarind paste
2 tbsp maple syrup
1 tbsp light soy sauce
juice of 1 lime
Lime curry noodles
300g dried yellow noodles (or any dried noodles of choice)
4 tbsp light soy sauce
2 tbsp sesame oil
1 ½ tbsp curry powder
1 tbsp maple syrup
1 tbsp rice wine vinegar
juice of 2 limes
½ tsp cracked black pepper
2 tbsp canola oil
1 large head pak choi, end trimmed, stalks sliced, leaves halved
1 red onion, sliced thinly
4 cloves garlic, crushed
1 tbsp finely grated fresh ginger
200g portobello mushrooms, stalks removed, sliced into 1cm-thick wedges
2 spring onions, finely sliced
chopped roasted peanuts, to serve
lime wedges, to serve
Method
For the sticky tamarind tofu, cut the tofu into 1cm-thick slices, then cut each slice into 3-4cm length pieces. Place the tofu on a paper-towel lined plate and pat each side of the tofu pieces dry with the paper towel. Place the oil in a large high-sided frying pan over medium-high heat. Place the cornflour, ½ tsp salt and ½ tsp black pepper in a shallow dish and whisk with a fork. Toss each piece of tofu in the cornflour to evenly coat and shallow fry in the hot oil for 4 minutes on each side until crispy and golden brown. Remove the tofu from the pan and place on a paper towel-lined plate to drain any excess oil. Discard any remaining oil or liquid in the pan. In a small bowl, whisk together the tamarind, maple syrup, soy sauce, lime juice, remaining ¼ tsp each of salt and black pepper and 1 tbsp cold water. Return the frying pan over medium heat and pour in the tamarind sauce. Add the tofu pieces and cook for a couple of minutes, turning the tofu to coat in the sticky sauce. Once the sauce has been absorbed by the tofu and starting to caramelise on each side, remove from the heat and transfer the tofu to a clean plate.
For the lime curry noodles, cook the noodles in boiling water for 3-4 minutes or as per packet instructions, until just tender. Drain, refresh under cold water, drain again and set aside. In a small bowl, whisk together the soy sauce, sesame oil, curry powder, maple syrup, rice wine vinegar, lime juice and black pepper to form a sauce; set aside. Wipe out the base of the large frying pan you used earlier with a paper towel (or use a wok if you have one). Add the oil to the pan and place over medium heat. Once hot, add the pak choi stalks, onion, garlic and ginger and cook for 3 minutes until turning golden. Add the pak choi leaves, mushroom and spring onion and cook for 3 minutes, tossing through until starting to soften. Add the cooked noodles and sauce to the pan and heat through for a further minute, tossing through the vegetables to coat evenly in the sauce. Remove from the heat.
To serve, pile the noodles into wide bowls, top with the sticky tamarind tofu, a hefty sprinkling of roasted peanuts and lime wedges on the side.