Veggie Stir Fried Noodles with Crispy Tofu (Vegan and Gluten Free)

Hey Guys! I realized that I never shared this with you! If you aren’t following me on social media, it would have been easy to not see this really fun piece that I got to do with Nordstroms. Basically they shot me at my home (my place of work) “modeling” (ha!) their fall line of work wear dresses earlier this Summer and then it posted to their website a couple of weeks ago. It was definitely a departure from my normal “work wear” (read yoga pants and a top knot) and was certainly a nice way to spend a day.

OK, it’s Sunday morning as I write this and all I can think about is that I get to watch the Seahawks game today. I am LOVING that football season has finally come back to us! Seattleites are die-hard and we always think we are on our way to our next superbowl! I may even get it together to make chili today, which would be a major accomplishment.

Or maybe I will make this Veggie Stir Fried Noodles with Crispy Tofu. I intended to share this with you because it makes for such a perfect weeknight dinner (and perfect for Meatless Monday!) but honestly I have not stopped thinking about this dish since I last made it, and then promptly ate almost all of it myself.

There are a few things that make this simple dish so incredibly delicious.
1) The noodles. I used rice csticks which are the super skinny rice noodles. You don’t even have to boil them- I just soak them in hot water and then they get a quick stir fry and they are done! I just adore the skinny texture of them.
2) The SAUCE!! A quick little combo of Gluten Free Soy Sauce, rice vinegar and chili garlic sauce is magical, but that is after it pairs with the flavors of fried ginger, garlic and red chili. This is all enough to flavor to perfectly saturate those delicate rice noodles!
3) This is pretty obvious- the crispy tofu. A light coating of rice flour makes these crispy, hot bites totally irresistible! You will be shocked when you find yourself hoarding chunks of TOFU from your family members because they are so good you want them all to yourself.

Did I sell it effectively enough?! I hope so, because this is a seriously delicious dish and whether you are a seasoned tofu eater or a hesitant one, this one will have you enjoying it!

Veggie Stir Fried Noodles with Crispy Tofu

Author: Heather Christo

Prep time: 20 mins

Cook time: 12 mins

Total time: 32 mins

Serves: 4

Ingredients

6.75 ounces of rice stick noodles
¼ cup vegetable oil
3 cloves of garlic, thinly sliced
2 inches of peeled ginger sliced into very thin strips
2 red fresno chili’s thinly sliced
14 ounces of firm tofu, drained and cut into 1 ½” cubes
½ cup rice flour
½ teaspoon kosher salt
1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
4 green onions, thinly sliced
3 cups nappa cabbage, thinly sliced
1 tablespoon Gluten Free Soy Sauce
2 tablespoons Rice Vinegar
1 tablespoons Chili Garlic Sauce

Instructions

Soak the rice stick noodles in a large bowl of hot water for 15 minutes while preparing the rest of the dish. When the noodles have soaked, drain completely.
Heat a wok or large cast iron pan over high heat until the pan is smoking. Add 3 tablespoons of the oil and the Ginger, Garlic and Chili’s and stir well, flash frying them about 30 seconds to 1 minute. When they are golden, use a slotted spoon and gather the golden ginger, garlic and chili and transfer to a plate.
In a bowl combine the rice flour and the kosher salt and toss the tofu in the rice flour and dust extra rice flour off and then add them to the pan with the oil. Turning often, frying the tofu until golden and crispy on the outside, about 8 minutes and then transfer to a plate.
Add the vegetables to the hot pan and stir fry briefly, about 1 minute and then remove from the pan and to a plate.
Add the last tablespoon of oil and then add the noodles and toss them with the oil and then add the sauce and toss the noodles for about 30 seconds. Turn the heat off and add the ginger, garlic, chili, vegetables and tofu back to the pan and toss everything together. Serve hot.

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