Golden Tofu Noodle Bowl Recipe • 5★ • 40 min

For the Salad

• Salt and black pepper
• 8 ounces rice vermicelli noodles
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
• 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
• 1 (15-ounce) block extra-firm tofu, drained and cut into 1-inch cubes
• 2 medium carrots (about 5 ounces), coarsely grated
• 2 Persian cucumbers, cut diagonally into ¼-inch slices
• ½ head (about 6 ounces) romaine lettuce, thinly sliced
• ⅓ cup roasted peanuts, roughly chopped
• 1 handful fresh basil leaves, for serving
• 1 handful fresh cilantro leaves, for serving

For the Vegan Nước Chấm

• ½ cup lime juice (from about 4 limes)
• 5 tablespoons maple syrup or brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce or tamari
• 1 garlic clove, finely grated
• 1 Thai red chile, finely chopped
• 1 teaspoon salt

Preparation

• Step 1Start the salad: Bring a large pot of salted water to the boil. Add the rice noodles and cook according to package instructions until tender, using a wooden chopstick or tongs to gently separate the noodles. Drain, refresh under cold water, and drain again.
• Step 2Meanwhile, add the olive oil, turmeric, 1 teaspoon salt and a big pinch of black pepper to a medium bowl and stir to combine. Add the tofu and toss gently to coat.
• Step 3Heat a medium skillet on medium high for 1 to 2 minutes. Add the tofu cubes and cook until golden all over, about 2 minutes per side (depending upon the size of your pan, you may need to cook in batches).
• Step 4Make the vegan nước chấm: Place the lime juice, maple syrup, soy sauce, garlic, Thai chile and salt into a bowl and whisk to combine.
• Step 5Drizzle 1 to 2 tablespoons of olive oil over the noodles, season with a pinch of salt and toss them to loosen them up. Divide the noodles among four wide bowls or rimmed dinner plates. Nestle bundles of the tofu, carrots, cucumbers and lettuce on top, along with small handfuls of peanuts, basil and cilantro. Serve with a bowl of the nước chấm on the side.
• The noodle bowls and the sauce can all be prepared 24 hours ahead of time and refrigerated until ready to serve. Since the sauce is not added until the time of eating, everything stays fresh and crisp.

Private Notes

Delicious!!

Made exactly as written, minus the lettuce. Make sure the tofu is well drained; if easier, you could probably just crumble a block up and the craggy chunks would absorb the turmeric flavor and get wonderfully crispy.

I put the drained pasta directly back into the bowl I'd used to mix the tofu and turmeric; there was just enough oil left to keep it from sticking and impart some flavor. The sauce was great, definitely use fresh limes or good quality lime juice.

Will make again!! Added broccoli and mushrooms.

Wish I had air fried the tofu separately to make it crispier. Next time I’ll also make more sauce. I think something important to know is you should not be using Sweet basil and instead use Thai Basil.

The balance is much better this way! To make it more authentic, will use an oil like canola instead of EVOO.

EVOO is not typically used in Vietnamese cooking. Also, agave is a good sub as sweetener. If you want crisper tofu cubes, sprinkle 1-2 tablespoons of cornstarch on them, giving a good toss.

And instead of pan frying, you can bake them in a 425 degree oven, drizzling them with some oil so they "fry," for about 15 minutes, turning them half way through. Curry powder instead of turmeric is also a nice variation, although not as Vietnamese.

Used shrimp instead of tofu because that's what I had. Used ramen noodles instead of rice, also because it's what I had.

Loved this for dinner and lunch leftovers!