Soba noodles with cucumber, ginger and marinated smoked tofu in miso sesame sauce

Ingredients for 2 servings:

• 175 g smoked tofu
• 60 ml lemon juice
• 2 tbsp tamari sauce or gluten-free soy sauce
• ½ tbsp sesame oil, toasted
• 1 tsp powdered sugar
• 250 ml water
• 60 g miso paste, dark (aka miso)
• 40 g tahini
• 2 tbsp mirin
• ½ tsp mint, dried
• 3 g cornstarch
• 150 g soba noodles
• 1 cucumber(s)
• 6 spring onions
• 20 g ginger root
• 4 tsp sesame, black
• 2 tbsp oil for frying
• n. B. Pepper, black, from the mill

Instructions

Working time approx. 30 minutes; Rest time approx. 4 hours 10 minutes; Cooking/baking time approx. 10 minutes; Total time approx. 4 hours 50 minutes

vegan and gluten-free

Wrap the smoked tofu in kitchen paper, place it on a plate, and weigh it down for at least 10 minutes, e.g., with a milk carton. Then cut the tofu into cubes. Mix a marinade of lemon juice, tamari sauce, sesame oil, and powdered sugar. Place the marinade and the tofu cubes in a tightly sealed freezer bag and let it marinate in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours, but ideally overnight. Drain the marinated tofu through a sieve, reserving the remaining marinade and stirring in the cornstarch. Wash the cucumber and cut it in half lengthwise, with the skin on. Scrape out the seeds with a spoon and slice the cucumber. Wash the spring onions and cut them into thick rings. Peel the ginger with a vegetable peeler and chop finely. For the sauce, heat the water slightly and dissolve the miso paste in it. Add the sesame paste, mirin, and dried mint and stir until smooth. Dry roast the sesame seeds in a pan until fragrant. Remove from the pan and set aside for later. Heat the oil in the empty pan and sauté the ginger and smoked tofu for about 3-4 minutes over high heat. Add the spring onions and sauté briefly. Pour in the prepared sauce and bring to a boil. Add the cucumbers to the pan. Pour in the marinade and bring to a boil again briefly to thicken the sauce. Finally, season everything with black pepper. Meanwhile, cook the soba noodles in salted water according to the package instructions and drain. The noodles cook very quickly. Serve the soba noodles immediately on a plate. Pour the cucumbers, smoked tofu, and sauce over the cucumbers, and finally sprinkle with toasted black sesame seeds.