Tofu and Soba with Miso Sauce

Well doesn't that recipe title sound healthy! I know what you're thinking....ewwwww tofu. Well guess what! It's not that ew and it's not the main feature of this recipe. For me, the chive-y, miso-y soba noodles were the best and most important part. Oh the heavenly smothered noodles, covered in their delightfully perfect sauce. Get at me soba noodles. They are 100% my new favorite obsession. While Will made this in the weeks before he left, I made another kickass soba noodle recipe the first week he's been gone that I can't wait to share with you. But for now, I give you this one. Once you get over the "ew" of the tofu, you may find yourself "ew-ing" at the radishes. Newsflash: they're actually kind of tasty. And crunchy. Now how fun is that? They don't have a ton of flavor, but they add a nice crunch factor to the meal as well as some fun color. So don't avoid this just because you've never eaten a radish and have never enjoyed tofu. Live a little.


Now I will say, we weren't impressed with just having blanched asparagus on the docket - I would recommend tossing in at least a dash of salt to help kick the flavor factor up a notch. Otherwise the asparagus is kind of boring, which is a shame because asparagus is a great superfood. I would also recommend cutting your tofu smaller than the prescribed "domino-sized" shape. I found that to be a little big, but I tend to like my tofu in little bite-size pieces. If you don't mind cutting things, then it probably won't bother you. Otherwise, soak up the delight of these noodles, appreciate the healthiness of the veggies and tofu and enjoy a light, healthy dinner!

Cooking Notes: We left out the water cress, since we couldn't find anything out of three grocery stores in Williamsburg. We also skipped out on the toasted sesame seeds, by just plain forgetting about them! Those were our only couple changes.

Tofu and Soba with Miso Sauce (adapted from The Kitchn; serves 2)
4 oz. medium tofu
2 tbsp cornstarch
3 tbsp veggie oil
2 tbsp salt
4 oz. asparagus, trimmed and cut into 2-inch pieces
4 oz. soba noodles
1 tbsp butter, melted
2 tsp white miso
1 tsp lemon juice
2 tbsp chopped chives
2 small radishes, thinly sliced

Set a large pot of water to boil. Prepare the tofu by rinsing and draining, then cutting into domino-sized pieces and placing between paper towels to blot excess liquid. Coat tofu pieces with cornstarch, then heat oil in a skillet and fry tofu until golden on both sides. Remove from skillet and set aside.

When water is boiling, add salt and asparagus, blanching the asparagus until it's bright green and tender (but not mushy), about 1-2 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and run under cold water to stop the cooking process, then set aside.

Return the water to a boil, add soba and cook according to package directions. Strain the noodles and run under cold water until completely cool. In a large bowl, combine melted butter, miso, lemon juice and chives, whisking until combined. Add soba and toss to coat. Arrange soba in a bowl with tofu, asparagus, and radishes. Enjoy!

Recipe: Springtime Soba with Miso Sauce