Udon noodles in peanut butter sauce with sweet and spicy tofu

Ingredients for 2 servings:

• 1 small broccoli
• Salt
• 1 bunch of spring onions
• some sesame
• chili flakes
• 200 g natural tofu
• some salt and pepper
• 2 tbsp, heaped cornstarch
• 1 tbsp vegetable oil
• 2 garlic cloves
• 3 tsp hoisin sauce
• 3 tsp agave syrup
• 2 tsp, heaped chili flakes
• 1 dash of soy sauce
• ½ lemon(s), juice
• 3 tbsp, heaped peanut butter or peanut butter, crunchy
• 1 clove(s) garlic
• some ginger
• 2 tsp sesame oil
• 2 tsp rice vinegar
• 1 tbsp chili flakes or crispy chili oil
• 2 tsp agave syrup
• 400 g Udon noodles, pre-cooked or 200 g Asian noodles, raw
• some pasta water

Instructions

Working time approx. 30 minutes; Cooking/baking time approx. 20 minutes; Total time approx. 50 minutes

With broccoli, vegan

Wash the spring onions and slice into rings. Peel the garlic and ginger. Cut the broccoli into florets, cook in salted water until al dente, drain, and set aside. Squeeze the tofu well, cut it horizontally in half, and pat it dry again. Tear the tofu into bite-sized pieces by hand and mix in a bowl with the cornstarch, pepper, salt, and oil. Preheat the oven to 200°C (top/bottom heat). Spread the tofu on a rack lined with baking paper and bake for 15-20 minutes, depending on how crispy you want it. Add a little oil and 2 grated garlic cloves to a pan. Shortly after, add the tofu from the oven to the pan and fry briefly. Add the hoisin sauce, agave syrup, and 2 teaspoons of chili flakes. Deglaze with a dash of soy sauce, mix well, and add the lemon juice. If the mixture is too runny, turn the heat up again briefly to thicken it, stirring constantly. Leave it in the pan and set it aside. Combine the peanut butter, 1 grated garlic clove, the grated ginger, the sesame oil, the rice vinegar, 1 tablespoon of chili flakes, and 2 teaspoons of agave syrup in a bowl; you’ll mix it together later. Add the pre-cooked udon noodles to boiling water for 3 minutes. (Cook Asian noodles according to the package instructions.) Then add them to the bowl with the peanut butter. Add a little pasta water and mix everything until you have a nice, creamy sauce. It’s best to add a few tablespoons of pasta water a little at a time until the peanut butter has combined with the remaining ingredients and the noodles. The sauce shouldn’t be runny, though! Finally, divide the noodles and peanut butter sauce between plates, then place the tofu on top. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and chili flakes and add the spring onions and broccoli.