Udon Noodle Salad with Broccolini and Spicy Tofu
Photo: John Autry; Styling: Leigh Ann Ross
For this udon noodle salad, broccolini (a hybrid of regular broccoli and Chinese broccoli) is blanched in salted water to get the vegetables crisp-tender while also keeping them bright green and full-flavored. If you make the salad ahead, wait to dress it until just before serving to preserve the broccolini's color.
How to Make It
Step 1
Cut tofu into 3/4-inch-thick slices. Place tofu slices in a single layer on several layers of paper towels; cover with additional paper towels. Let tofu stand for 30 minutes to drain, pressing down occasionally. Remove tofu from paper towels, and cut into 3/4-inch cubes.
Step 2
Preheat oven to 350°.
Step 3
Combine 2 tablespoons peanut oil, tamari, and 1 teaspoon Sriracha in a large bowl, stirring well with a whisk. Add tofu cubes to tamari mixture, and toss gently to coat. Let stand for 15 minutes. Remove tofu from bowl with a slotted spoon; reserve tamari mixture in bowl. Arrange tofu in a single layer on a foil-lined baking sheet coated with cooking spray, and bake tofu at 350° for 10 minutes or until lightly golden.
Step 4
Cook udon noodles according to package directions, omitting salt and fat. Drain and rinse with cold water; drain well.
Step 5
Combine 6 cups water and salt in a large saucepan over high heat, and bring to a boil. Add Broccolini to pan; cook for 3 minutes or until crisp-tender. Drain and plunge Broccolini into ice water; drain well. Chop Broccolini.
Step 6
Add remaining 3 tablespoons peanut oil, remaining 1/2 teaspoon Sriracha, rice wine vinegar, ginger, and sesame oil to reserved tamari mixture in bowl; stir mixture well with a whisk. Add baked tofu, udon noodles, Broccolini, and 1/2 cup thinly sliced radishes to bowl; toss gently to coat. Sprinkle salad with cashews.
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EllenDeller's Review
Pretty good, and nice for a hot summer evening. I didn't chill anything, but it still was cool and refreshing. My husband loved it, but I think I'd prefer these ingredients as a stir-fry, with less oil and a little cornstarch to thicken. We ate this as a one-dish meal, which means the two of us ate the whole thing. I did cut the oil in the dressing by 1 TB and that was fine, and I substituted a thinly sliced turnip for the radish. Daikon radishes would be preferable here, and I didn't have one in the house..
lydiacrowe's Review
I really loved this salad, especially the baked marinated tofu -- delicious! I added a tablespoon or two of Ginger People brand sweet/spicy ginger-chile-garlic sauce, because I wanted some sweetness in there, and I greatly increased the amount of Sriracha. If I made this again I'd probably decrease the oil a bit.
Kbcgray's Review
I liked this and will certainly make it again. However, next time I'll experiment with the sauce. As written, it was a bit too oily and a little bland. The radishes struck me as an odd ingredient, but they worked.
Belanos's Review
This was quite good. The dressing was flavorful and slightly spicy; I will probably add a bit more sriracha the next time I make it. The radish and chopped cashews add a welcome crunchy texture to offset the soft texture of the noodles and tofu. Leftovers heated well in the microwave, although the broccolini's bright green color became dull. I'm not a big fan of radishes, so I will try adding a different, crunchy vegetable the next time. I also plan to follow the suggestion of another reviewer of adding red bell pepper, carrot and green onion.
simplysusan421's Review
I really liked this! It was my first experience with tofu but I knew I wanted it a little more crunchy. So I baked it for 20 minutes instead of 10 and increased my oven temp to 400 for the last 5 minutes. I did serve this warm instead of cold. I think I would like it just a tad spicier so I will increase the siracha which I was conservative with this first time.
elainefrommaine's Review
Very good salad. Really liked the taste of the baked tofu. I wanted more vegetables - added 1/2 red pepper, cut into thin strips, 1 carrot, cut into matchsticks and 2 chopped green onion.
kabrobinson's Review
This was delicious. The sauce was amazing. I sort of accidentally bough banh pho noodles (Thai rice noodles) which were quite sticky but still tasted really good. I will add more radish next time.
Lightrod's Review
N/A
meganhalv's Review
I didn't care for this at all. It was very bland and I didn't like the fact that the noodles and broccolini were served cold/room temp.
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