SESAME SOBA NOODLES WITH CRISPY TOFU
I know I’m late to the party, but I feel like the obsession with Bon Appétit came swiftly and without warning. My impression of BA used to be that it was fussy and upscale, utilizing uncommon ingredients or having recipes with too many steps (though I always admired the food photography). But then Smitten Kitchen, the least fussy, most practical, NYC-dwelling, small kitchen-inhabiting blogger, began writing a column for them. This caught my attention and completely upended my preconceived notions of what BA’s vibe was. I fell into an unending spiral of digging through archives, skimming Healthyish (a BA offshoot) and, of course, watching the BA Test Kitchen YouTube videos. This little group sold me, with all their different personalities jumbling together into a lovable family, and with their commitment to finding the perfect recipes for common foods. All the recipes I’ve tried recently from BA have been delicious and nuanced and this one is no different.
Sesame Soba Noodles with Crispy Tofu
Adapted from Bon Appétit
Makes 2 servings
2 medium Persian cucumbers, thinly sliced into rounds
Salt
1 1/2" piece ginger, peeled, finely grated
1/2 tbsp minced garlic
5 tbsp rice vinegar, divided
1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce
3 tbsp honey
1 12-oz. block soft or firm tofu, drained, patted dry
1/4 cup neutral oil, like canola
6 oz. dried soba noodles
2 tbsp peanut butter (use tahini if available)
2 tbsp sesame oil
1 tbsp red chili flakes
3 scallions, thinly sliced on a diagonal
To make: Toss cucumbers and a few pinches of salt in a colander. Let sit until salt begins to draw out water from cucumbers, about 5 minutes. Drain and squeeze out excess liquid. Transfer cucumbers to a small bowl. Add most of the ginger and 1 tbsp vinegar and toss to combine. Chill until ready to use. Whisk soy sauce, honey, garlic, red chili flakes remaining ginger and 3 tbsp vinegar in a medium bowl. Cut tofu into 9 square-ish pieces by cutting the block into thirds, then cutting each third crosswise into 3 pieces. Pat dry. Heat oil in a medium nonstick skillet over medium-high until shimmering. Cook tofu, undisturbed, until very crisp and dark brown underneath, 4–5 minutes. Flip tofu and add soy sauce mixture (reserve medium bowl; you’ll use it again). Cook, turning tofu occasionally and reducing heat to medium if needed, until glaze is almost thick enough to coat a spoon, about 4 minutes. Meanwhile, cook soba noodles according to package directions and drain. Do not rinse noodles, even if the instructions tell you to—you want them to stay warm. Transfer tofu to a plate, leaving sauce in pan. Pour sauce into reserved medium bowl. Whisk in peanut butter, sesame oil and remaining 1 tbsp vinegar. Add noodles into bowl and toss until coated with sauce. Divide noodles among bowls and top with tofu, pickled cucumbers, and scallions.
Notes: I didn’t have tahini on hand, so I subbed peanut butter and sesame oil instead. The texture in crunchy peanut butter yielded a nice extra bite.