Soba Noodles, Veggies and Tofu with Peanut Dressing

One of the best things about living in Chicago are all the different types of ethnic grocery stores, literally around every corner.  There is a Cuban market at the end of our block and a Mexican market about two blocks away.  One of our favorite Asian markets is Joong Boo, a Korean market, about 10 minutes from our house.  It is huge with a great (and inexpensive) produce section, a large meat and fish department (including some very exotic cuts of meat), a freezer section with all the dumpling choices my little heart can desire (my heart desires a lot of dumplings), a kimchi buffet, an awesome noodle aisle and many, many other items.  I love to wander around the store and look at all of the interesting food.  It really reminds me of being in Asia.  There is even a small area at the back of the market where they cook made to order Korean dishes.  There are a few cozy tables to sit and enjoy your food.

Daniel and I have a bit of an obsession with noddles.  We usually have several types of Asian style noodles in our pantry and freezer.  A couple of months ago we went to Joong Boo to stock up on some Asian cooking essentials.  We came out having spent about $60.  $40 of it was on noodles.  You name it, we bought it.  Udon, soba, rice noodles, Korean vermicelli, etc.  For awhile now I've had a recipe in mind for the soba.  I found the recipe on 101coobooks.com.  We made it with a few changes based on the veggies we had in the fridge and we cooked it as a warm dish instead of a cold noodle salad as indicated in the recipe.  It was very tasty and filling.

1 8 ounce package soba noodles

12 ounces extra-firm (organic) tofu
Sesame seeds
3 cups of broccoli florets and stems cut into pieces
2 cups of green beans cut into 3 inch pieces 

3/4 cup crunchy or creamy peanut butter (I used crunchy and loved the extra peanutiness!)
1/4 cup rice vinegar (the original recipe calls for brown rice vinegar.  I used regular rice vinegar and it was fine)
2 cloves garlic, crushed and chopped
drizzle of toasted sesame oil
1 tsp of crushed red pepper flakes, more or less depending on how spicy you want it
1/4-1/2 cup hot water

1 small bunch of scallions, thinly sliced
1/2 cup peanuts

Bring a large pot of water to a boil.  Cook the soba noodles per the packages instructions.  Once they are done run under cold water to stop the cooking.  Drain put back in pot and set aside.

Coat the tofu in sesame seeds.  Lightly fry the tofu in olive oil adding some salt and pepper for taste.  Add a splash of soy sauce.  Once the tofu is lightly browned toss in broccoli and green beans.  Continue to cook for another 5-10 minutes.  This allows the veggies to be warmed through but to remain crisp in texture.

While the veggies are cooking make the peanut dressing.  Whisk together the peanut butter, vinegar, garlic and red pepper flakes.  Use hot water to thin out the consistency to your liking.  Season with salt and pepper.  Mix everything together in a large bowl.  Garnish with peanuts and scallions.  The noodles were very tasty.  I ate them cold and straight from the fridge the next day and they still had a lot of flavor.  Next time I'll add a few more red pepper flakes.

A quick note on broccoli - before I started cooking with Daniel I always threw away broccoli stems.  Daniel likes to use them just as he would the broccoli crowns, and I've been pleasantly surprised at how well they cook up.  They have less flavor than broccoli crowns but they soak in the flavor of the dish, retain their crunch and are great for stir fries or in pasta dishes.  Also, they can last quite a long time in the fridge.