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What do you do when you have a tub of tofu nearing expiration and a stalk of lemongrass screaming to be used?
Well, I’ll tell you what I did. Â I made a super quick, super easy, super tasty lunch – all in 10 minutes. Â (Not counting the baking time of the tofu).
The lemongrass automatically made me think “Thai”, so I started gathering up other ingredients that went along with that theme. Â Red Thai chilies, dry roasted peanuts, noodles, peanut butter, ginger, garlic, etc. Â Looking at what I had laid out on the counter I decided to go with a pasta dish with a sweet and spicy lemongrass-peanut sauce. Â This would have worked perfectly with chicken as well, but I had that screaming tofu, remember? Â (Or was it the lemongrass that was screaming? Â I don’t remember.) Â In any case, the tofu was begging to be used and so I had mercy on it and granted it its dying wish: Â To be used in a way that would pay homage to its being, reflect the beauty of its legacy. Â I did just that and made Thai Peanut Tofu Noodles.
Whether you use tofu or substitute with chicken, you’re going to love this simple, quick and delicious dish.
Let’s get Thai cookin’!
If using chicken, see recipe printout for instructions.
Dice up the tofu and place it in a bowl.
Combine the marinade ingredients.
Pour the marinade evenly over the tofu cubes and let marinate for at least 20 minutes.
Spread the screaming tofu cubes (sorry, I keep forgetting that was the lemongrass) out on a baking sheet sprayed with vegetable oil (discard the marinade) and bake in a preheated oven of 400 F for 20-25 minutes or until desired texture is reached, turning over with a spatula after 15 minutes and every 5 minutes thereafter. Â If using “firm” tofu (as opposed to “extra firm”), bake for an additional 5-10 minutes.
Peel and discard the outer layers of the lemongrass. Â You only want to use the softer, inner white part towards the base of the stalk.
Look at this lovely, non-screaming tofu. Â Even those of you who dislike tofu have to admit this is lookin’ pretty good. Â Remove the tofu from the oven and set aside. Â (Ideally, you’ll be preparing all the other ingredients while the tofu is baking so it’s all ready to be tossed together at the end.)
Saute the ginger, garlic, lemongrass and red chilies for about 1-2 minutes until very fragrant.
Add the sauce ingredients to the saucepan.
Squeeze a couple of teaspoons of lime juice and add it to the sauce. Â This is going to add a touch of yummy freshness to the spiciness of the dish. Â Simmer the sauce for one minute.
Add the broth to the peanut sauce to thin it out and simmer for another minutes.
Cook the noodles as instructed. Â I used Udon noodles because that’s what I had on hand. Â You can also use Chinese egg noodles, spaghetti, linguine, angel hair, fettuccine, etc.
Slice the green onions and julienne some carrots. Â Cut off a couple of chunks of carrot, about an inch long. Â Cut it in vertical slabs, then slice it again vertically into thin strips.
Lovely julienned carrots that will add color and texture to your finished dish.
Drain the pasta and place in a large bowl.
Add the tofu, peanuts, carrots and green onions. Â Look at this beautiful array of colors and textures. Â But we’re not finished yet so don’t start eating!
Toss to combine the ingredients.
Pour that heavenly Thai peanut sauce over the noodles.
Carefully stir and toss to combine and thoroughly coat the pasta. Â That’s it, you’re done!
Serve warm or cold. Â A nice cool, crispy cucumber salad would make a nice accompaniment.
Asian food lovers, don’t forget to try this recipe for the Best Homemade Teriyaki Sauce!
- 14 oz. extra firm tofu, cut into ½ inch cubes (or 1 lb chicken breast cut into cubes)
- For the marinade:
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon sherry
- ½ teaspoon sesame oil
- ⅛ teaspoon black pepper
- For the sauce:
- 1 tablespoon fresh minced garlic
- 1 tablespoons fresh minced ginger
- 2 teaspoons lemongrass, minced
- 1 red Thai chile, seeds carefully discarded (if you like really spicy, leave in some of the seeds), diced
- ¼ cup soy sauce
- ¼ cup creamy natural and unsweetened peanut butter
- 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lime juice
- 2 teaspoons sesame oil
- 1½ teaspoons brown sugar
- ⅓ cup vegetable or chicken stock
- ⅓ cup dry roasted peanuts
- ¼ cup green onions, sliced
- ¼ cup carrots, julienned
- 8 oz uncooked udon, Chinese egg noodles, or spaghetti, cooked al dente according to package directions.
- Combine the marinade ingredients and pour over the tofu cubes in a medium bowl. Let marinate for at least 20 minutes. If using chicken, follow the same marinading procedure.
- Preheat the oven to 400 F. Place the tofu cubes on a baking sheet sprayed with vegetable spray. and bake the tofu for 20-25 minutes or until desired texture is reached. Turn the cubes with a spatula after 15 minutes, then again every 5 minutes. (If using "firm" tofu, bake for an additional 5-10 minutes). Remove from oven and set aside.
- If using chicken, discard the marinade and fry the chicken in a medium skillet over medium-high heat until cooked through. Transfer the chicken to a plate and keep in a warmed oven. Use the same skillet to make the sauce.
- Add a little oil to the skillet and saute the garlic, ginger, lemongrass and chilies for 1-2 minutes until very fragrant. Add the soy sauce, peanut butter, white wine vinegar, lime juice, sesame oil, and brown sugar. Simmer for 1 minute until ingredients are fully combined. Add the broth to thin out the sauce and simmer for another minute.
- Place the cooked noodles in a warmed bowl. Add the tofu or chicken, peanuts, green onions, and carrots. Toss to combine. Pour the sauce over the pasta mixture and carefully stir and toss until the noodles are evenly coated.
- Serve warm or cold. A cold, crispy cucumber salad would make a nice accompaniment.
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Teresa says
Delicious! I made without the red chilis…substituted a finely chopped red pepper and didn’t add lemon grass…but I’m sure I will find it next time. Very tasty!!!
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Thanks, Teresa, I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
liltiger says
Yes Thai Chillies(Bird’s Eye) are VERY hot… hence why Thai Green Curry and Red Curry is very spicy – made with Bird’s Eyes. (We have had to evacuate a building when someone boiled up a big batch and everyone above started to choke and cough)
Which Chilli do you suggest then? Often the US supermarket does not label the fresh ones with the names but when they do I can look for the right chillies. So far we have had to throw out or add a heap of extra spices to most tasty dishes I make there. Either waaaay tooo hot or bland. I’m pretty frustrated atm. No specialty stores for asian vegies near us – only mexican stores really… Sick of hotdogs/burgers/ribs/and tasteless thick pizza… Cannot find a roast of pork. No lamb(all mutton/hogget). No corned silverside.
I do not know what is a ‘regular small red chilli” because in Australia a small red chilli would be a Bird’s Eye mostly… that is my idea of regular small red chilli and I cannot find them… Like wombok, baby bok choy, bean shoots,lentils sprouts, baby corn, chinese broccoli… all missing from stores…
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
I feel your pain, litiger! :( I’ve substituted the small, skinny red chilies you find in Mexican stores many times (they’re usually not labeled, just in a bin that you scoop) and have been content with those. Honestly, there’s only so much heat my taste buds can handle and those chilies do well for me.
liltiger says
Can you tell me where you get the Bird’s Eye Chillis? Amazon has seeds and dried chillis only. I never see them at the US stores just the longer ones. Do you grow your own?
I can get them in Australia but not seen them in USA
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
In specialty shops and there are some other online stores that carry a large variety of some harder-to-find spices and ingredients. But you can just substitute using the regular small red chilies. The difference is mostly the heat, not the flavor.
SD says
I made this last night and everyone loved it, including my super-finicky child. We bought some chopsticks to make eating it even more fun. I usually don’t write comments, but this was delicious! A few changes:
– I didn’t have sherry so used red wine
– I used Thai chile sauce and a tiny bit of sriracha sauce instead of fresh chiles
– I didn’t have white wine vinegar so used apple cider vinegar
– I added two scrambled eggs and some chopped zucchini
Thanks for a great recipe!
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Wonderful! I love this dish and you’ve reminded me that I need to make it again myself :) Thanks so much for the feedback!
Michelle says
Thanks.
Michelle says
Is there a substitute for the sherry? I have sherry vinegar…. lol.
The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Michelle! I you have any dry white wine on hand, use that. If not, you can use a tablespoon of apple juice or cider.
Kimberley says
This recipe is amazing, thanks so much for sharing!
The Daring Gourmet says
Hello, Kimberley! :) Thank you for the compliment! I really enjoy this dish, too. Quick, easy, and good.
Ayako A says
Thanks Kimberly! I don’t have galanga and red curry paste but can go get them in Vietnamese town. Not sure if my almost three year old can handle the soup (he liked the noodle though), but if that’s the case, more for me.
The Daring Gourmet says
You can definitely substitute ginger for the galangal. It’s a pretty spicy soup, so be sure to remove the seeds from the chilies unless you like spicy hot foods. My toddler wouldn’t eat something like this – he’d probably just eat the pieces of chicken out of it :)
Ayako A says
So I did bring this dish to the potluck where picky vegetarians were. Unfortunately I showed up a bit late when people just started to eat, therefore not everybody was able to try. However, those who tried asked to take some home with them! Noodles didn’t get clumped at all by coating with oil as you suggested and eating cold was not a problem.
I don’t know if you like to hear how people modify your awesome recipe, but marinating tofu overnight worked well. And substituting sherry with sake, white wine vinegar with rice vinegar and creamy peanut butter with crunchy one were fine also. I did these just to manage time.
Thanks for the great recipe! BTW now there are a few stalks of lemon glass…any suggestions for an easy recipe?
The Daring Gourmet says
That’s great, Ayako! Thank you so much for your feedback. I’m glad it was a success and yes, I always like feedback about any customized alterations to the recipes. As for the leftover lemongrass – you must try the Tom Kha Gai! Very quick to make. Just enter the name in the soup box or look under “Soups and Stews” from the “Recipes” tab at the top of the page and you’ll find my recipe. It’s the most popular Thai soup and one of the most popular Thai dishes in general. If you don’t have some of the other ingredients on hand, let me know and I can recommend some substitutions. Thanks again for trying the Thai Peanut Tofu Noodles and for your feedback!
Ayako A says
Will do! Thanks for your help!
Ayako A says
Hey Kimberly, do you think this dish can be brought to a potluck, meaning it takes a bit to be eaten? Rice noodles or spaghetti. I need to please a bunch of Japanese friends including picky vegetarians! BTW I love the idea of firming tofu by baking. It works great.
The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Ayako! I don’t see why not. And it can be eaten either warm or at room temperature. One thing I’d recommend is tossing the noodles (whichever ones you use) with a little oil after draining them. That is something you should typically never do for saucy pasta dishes because the oil coating keeps the sauce from adhering to the noodles, but in this case the sauce (because it has peanut butter) is already so sticky that the oil coating won’t pose a problem. This way, the longer the noodles sit, the oil will keep the noodles from clumping together too much by the time they get eaten. Thanks for stopping by and be sure to let me know how the dish went over with the picky vegetarians! – Kimberly
Anonymous says
Lookes like something good to try my skills on.
The Daring Gourmet says
Definitely – let me know what you think. Thanks for visiting.