Spicy Sesame Ginger Griddled Tofu with Pak Choi and Rice Noodles

Bit of an experiment today, still had quite a lot of the otsu dressing left but no more soba noodles to make the salad. Was thinking it's so good it would make a good tofu marinade and was curious how it would turn out used as a sauce in a hot dish. Threw in some pak choi as I had a lot and it turned out well. Not sure how well the dressing works as a sauce as the vinegar taste came through a bit too much, however, the tofu is hands down the tastiest I have ever had.

I usually just marinade my tofu in a mixture of soy sauce, sesame oil, ginger and garlic; which is very good, but this was amazing. Great spice level and full of flavour. I'm thinking it will be fantastic in between some crusty toasted french bread with vegan mayo, lettuce and tomato. I griddled it mostly just for looks but the darker lines caramelized a bit, I guess from the sugar in the dressing, and was so, so, good. I also had used tofu that was previously frozen then defrosted and pressed. Apparently tofu prepared this way gets even more spongy and absorbes more marinade - which in this is a very good thing. Recipe serves 1.

Spicy Sesame Ginger Griddled Tofu with Pak Choi and Rice Noodles

63g firm tofu
otsu dressing
2 heads small pak choi, seperate the stalk from the leaf and slice everything, keep seperate.
1 pack pad thai ribbon noodles, or other
1 tsp veg oil
black sesame seeds

After pressing tofu, cut into thin triangles then pour dressing over and marinade for 15 minutes, turning once. Brush a griddle pan with 1/2 tsp of the veg oil and place tofu on, cook on both sides until golden and with dark lines. I further griddled to get a criss cross pattern but that's just for looks. In a wok, heat the other 1/2 tsp of veg oil and fry the stalk of the pak choi until soft, add the noodles, pak choi leaves and about 1 1/2 Tbsp of the dressing. Stir until leaves wilt and everything is hot. Tip into a bowl, top with the tofu and a sprinkle of black or regular sesame seeds.

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