Thai Noodles with Broccoli and Tofu

Thai Noodles with Broccoli and Tofu

We love these noodles, yes even the kids!  Thai food is one of our top favorites.  It's always a challenge to make ethnic food at home as delicious as in our favorite restaurants.  But I was up for the challenge!  I've been working on this recipe and method for a while now and finally think I've perfected it.  It's really pretty easy and makes enough for the whole family.  The chili vinegar is a must!  It really adds a great flavor to the noodles.  I like to freeze a whole bunch of fresh Serrano peppers so I have them on hand for this meal. I just remove them form the freezer and slice them while frozen and add them directly to the vinegar.

Chili Vinegar:

1/3 cup white vinegar

1 Serrano chili (similar to, but skinnier than a jalapeno), stemmed and sliced into rings

12-16 ounces Thai rice noodles

Stir Fry Sauce:

¼ cup oyster sauce

1 tablespoon fish sauce

3 tablespoons soy sauce

¼ cup molasses

¼ cup brown sugar

1 tablespoon vinegar

scant ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes

Stir Fry:

16 ounces extra firm tofu, cut into ¾ inch cubes

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled and minced

3 eggs

5 cups broccoli, cut into bite sized pieces

handful of salted peanuts, roughly chopped

Combine the vinegar and Serrano chili in a condiment bowl and let stand at room temperature until ready to serve.   The spice and heat from the pepper will transfer into the vinegar.  Sprinkle the vinegar only (not the peppers) over the noodles just before serving.   Place dry noodles in a large bowl and pour 10 cups  boiling water over them.  Stir well to separate noodles from each other and soak for 8 minutes, stirring again a few times.  Drain and rinse with cold water.  Drain well and toss with a little oil to prevent sticking.  Whisk sauce ingredients together in a small bowl and set aside.  Preheat oven to 450 degrees.  Toss broccoli pieces with 2 tablespoons olive oil.  Roast for 12-15 minutes, until edges are brown and crispy.  Remove from oven and toss with 4 tablespoons sauce and set aside.  Heat a large non-stick frying pan and add a little oil.   Add garlic and ginger and saute 2 minutes.  Add tofu and 2 tablespoons of sauce and saute for a few minutes on medium high heat until lightly browned.  Remove tofu mixture to a large bowl and cover with foil.   Add a little more oil to frying pan and add eggs.  Saute 1 minute breaking up with a spatula as they cook to a scrambled egg consistency.  Remove to bowl with the tofu.  Heat a little oil in frying pan until smoking and add half of the noodles and 2 tablespoons (plus more if needed) sauce, tossing to coat. Cook until noodles are starting to brown in spots, stirring once through cooking.  This process will turn the white noodles a nice rice brown color, infused with the sauce. Transfer noodles to bowl with tofu mixture.  Repeat with the second batch of noodles and sauce.  Add tofu mixture and broccoli back into frying pan and add remaining sauce. Gently combine and cook without stirring until heated through.  Transfer to platter and garnish with peanuts.  Pass the chili vinegar.  I like to toss the chili vinegar (vinegar only, not the peppers) over the entire dish but you can pass it around if you think it may be too "spicy" for little ones. ( It's really not spicy just flavorful! ) Serve with a slice of lime.