Malay Street Noodles

Last post I made you fairly healthy muffins. Now I'm making you something vegan. I hope you didn't just see the word vegan and immediately navigate away from this page. I might have. Blake pointed out it was vegan after we had devoured it. We both immediately ran to the fridge in search of some cheese.

Alright, that's not true. This dish is vegan and wonderful. I know I have said before that Blake and I both love meat but from an environmental standpoint meat is one of the most resource intensive foods humans consume. Especially beef. We try to limit this impact by eating vegetarian for lunch and a few dinners a week. Vegetarian can be delicious. Apparently even vegan can be delicious... occasionally. Come with me on this journey of eating Malay street noodles and you too will agree.

Did I mention this dish also contains tofu? If you are still with me, I admire your willingness to have a tofu adventure. Tofu and I are not the best of friends but I enjoyed it here. The tofu is stir fried in a wok (a large saute pan will work fine too) with bok choy, brussel sprouts, garlic, and rice noodles. The whole shebang is then doused in a sweet soy chili sauce spiced with cumin and coriander. This sauce is so simple and so good. The whole thing takes less than 30 minutes to prepare. I highly recommend it.

Malay street noodles
Serves 3, adapted from Plenty

11 ounces pad thai rice noodles, prepared according to the package directions (found in the Asian aisle)
1 1/2 teaspoons ground coriander
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon chili paste and extra to serve (also found in the Asian aisle)
1 1/2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons peanut oil (olive oil can sub)
1/2 onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
8 ounces firm tofu, cut into 1/2" thick strips
2 cups brussel sprouts, thinly sliced on a mandolin or by hand
1 bok choy stalk, cut into large chunks (leaves and stalk)

Prepare rice noodle according to package directions.

Whisk together coriander, cumin, chili paste, and soy sauce, in a small bowl. Set aside.

In a wok or large saute pan, heat oil over high heat. Once hot, add the onion and the garlic. Cook for 4-5 minutes to soften. Add tofu to the pan and stir occasionally for 3-4 minutes. You want the tofu to get a little golden brown.

Add the brussel sprouts and bok choy. Once it wilts, 3-4 minutes, add the prepared rice noodles. Cook the noodles for about 4 minutes. You want them to brown and crisp slightly.

Add your sauce and toss gently to combine. Remove from heat and enjoy.