Any kind of Thai noodles are always a family crowd-pleaser in our house. This dish makes a nice change from Phad Thai Jay and is super easy to make. The traditional choice of noodle is the very wide, flat rice noodles, but you can also use small noodle sheets or indeed any noodles you like. Leafy greens are an essential ingredient, but you can substitute the Chinese broccoli for big leafy spinach, chard or pak choi/bok choy. Mangetout/snow peas and broccoli also make great additional vegetables. You can buy ready-made tofu puffs from the Chinese supermarket to save time, instead of making your own. I make them in batches and then freeze ready to use later.
Ingredients
- 10½ oz (300 g) flat, wide rice noodles (sen yai or chow fun in Chinese)
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil, plus extra for frying
- 14-oz (1 x 396-g) packet firm tofu, excess water drained
- 4 tablespoons plain/all-purpose flour
- 10-oz (1 x 280-g) can fried gluten mock chicken, drained and rinsed
- 6 garlic cloves, crushed
- 2 large handfuls of leafy greens, such as Chinese broccoli or pak choi/bok choy, choi sum, etc., roughly chopped
For the Sauce
- 6 tablespoons soy sauce
- 3 tablespoons kecap manis (dark sweet soy sauce)
- ½–1 teaspoon unrefined sugar or agave syrup, to taste
- 1½ tablespoons rice vinegar
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 teaspoon ground white pepper
To Serve
- 1 teaspoon dried chilli/hot red pepper flakes
- handful of toasted cashews
How to Make It
- Soak the noodles in almost-boiling water for 15–20 minutes until completely softened. Drain and set aside.
- Mix together all the sauce ingredients in a jug/pitcher, stirring well until all the salt and sugar have dissolved. Taste and adjust the seasoning as needed.
- In a small pan, add about 4–5 cm/1½–2 inches of oil and place on a medium-high heat. Halve the tofu block and cut one half into cubes. Toss the cubes in the flour, then place gently in the hot oil. Fry until just crisp, then put onto paper towels to drain. Cut the mock chicken into large bite-sized pieces.
- Put the crushed garlic into a large wok or frying pan/skillet, with the 2 tablespoons of oil. Crumble the remaining tofu into the pan, mix well and stir-fry for a few minutes over a medium-high heat. Add the mock chicken pieces, the greens and half of the sauce. Stir-fry for about 3–4 minutes, then add the noodles, fried tofu cubes and remaining sauce. Toss well so all the noodles are well coated. Serve immediately, with a sprinkle of dried chilli/hot red pepper flakes and cashews.
