Sticky orange tofu with veg-fried noodles

“An ideal Friday night recipe that captures all the takeaway vibes but is conveniently made at home in no time. This vegan option is perfect for Veganuary, but tofu can easily be replaced with alternative proteins like paneer or chicken. You can also include a couple of eggs in the vegetable noodles, and feel free to swap out the vegetables for seasonal alternatives.” — Dr Chintal Patel

  • Prep:10 mins
    Cook:15 mins
    plus marinating
  • Serves 4
  • Easy

Nutrition per serving

  • kcal 553
  • fat 19g
  • saturates 3g
  • carbs 59g
  • sugars 0g
  • fibre 12g
  • protein 31g
  • salt 1.2g

Ingredients

  • 450g firm tofu
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 6 spring onions, trimmed and finely sliced
  • 300g mangetout
  • 300g baby corn, halved lengthways
  • 500g straight-to-wok noodles or 300g dried noodles, cooked following pack instructions
  • 1 tbsp sesame seeds
  • 50ml low-salt soy sauce, plus extra for serving
  • 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
  • 4cm piece of ginger, grated
  • 1 red chilli, finely chopped (optional)
  • 3 tbsp honey or maple syrup
  • 2 oranges, zested and juiced
MPU 2

Method

  1. Pat the tofu dry then cut into 1cm-thick strips. Make the marinade by combining all the ingredients in a medium bowl. Put the tofu strips into the marinade, toss gently coat and chill for 30 mins or overnight.

  2. Heat 1 tbsp of the olive oil in a large frying pan over a medium heat and fry the tofu strips for 2-3 mins on each side until golden. You may need to do this in batches. Remove the tofu to a plate and set aside. Pour the remaining marinade mix into the pan and simmer for 3-4 mins until it starts to thicken and turn sticky. Turn the heat off and set aside.

  3. Heat the remaining oil in a large frying pan or wok over a medium heat. Reserve a handful of the spring onions for serving, then scatter the remaining onions into the pan and cook for 1 min. Add the mangetout and corn, and fry for 4-5 mins until just tender. Finally, add the cooked noodles. Stir well, remove from the heat and set aside.

  4. Put the sticky marinade back on the heat, add the tofu strips and stir to coat. Heat through for 1-2 mins. Serve on top of the veg-fried noodles, sprinkled with chopped spring onions and the sesame seeds.

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