RECIPE: Teriyaki Tofu Udon in a Chili Peanut Soup

Sweet, spicy, and full of flavor, this udon dish will become your new favorite way to enjoy a hot bowl of noodles. It’s composed of three main components: the soup broth, teriyaki tofu, and udon/toppings. 

The broth begins with a trifecta of red onion, garlic, and chili that are fried together in peanut oil. This produces a rich base of flavor that is further developed with the addition of brown sugar, soy sauce, ginger, and miso. Through the combination of these aromatic ingredients, a fragrant, multi-dimensional soup is created. At this point, your kitchen will be full of tantalizing smells. 

Next, we prepare simple pan-fried tofu cooked in a cornstarch-thickened teriyaki sauce. Though it’s an ideal accompaniment for this udon noodle soup, this recipe for teriyaki tofu can also be prepared as a stand-alone dish and served with rice. Feel free to make extra to enjoy as leftovers! 

Finally, come the noodles and toppings. We recommend using 5 grain beauty udon or mozuku udon noodles, both of which cook in 10 minutes or less. 

The noodles are piled into two bowls, then covered in broth and topped with bright orange carrot, vibrant green shiso, pickled red ginger, and a sprinkle of black sesame. The freshness and acidity of the toppings help to offset some of the soup’s heat. Perfect for a gloomy day, this visually stunning udon in a chili peanut soup will add a splash of brightness to your dining table.

Servings: 2

Ingredients

Soup

• 1 red onion (finely chopped)
• 2 garlic cloves (crushed)
• 2 small red chili (finely chopped)
• 2 tbsp peanut oil
• 700 ml vegetables stock
• 1 tbsp brown sugar
• 2 tbsp soy sauce*
• 2 tbsp fresh ginger (grated)
• 1 tbsp miso paste

Tofu Teriyaki

• 100g firm tofu 
• 2 tbsp soy sauce*
• ½ tbsp white wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar
• 1 tbsp sugar
• ½ tbsp fresh ginger (grated)
• Pinch of garlic powder
• 1 tbsp cornstarch
• 2-3 tbsp water
• 1 tbsp vegetable oil

Other

• 200g udon noodles  (we recommend using 5 grain beauty udon or mozuku udon noodles)
• ½ carrot (julienne)
• 2 shiso leaves (chopped)
• 20g pickle red ginger orbenishouga
• Sprinkle of sesame seeds

Instructions

1. Wrap the tofu in paper towel and let it rest for about 15 mins to remove excess water then slice into bite-size cubes. Set aside.
2. Add the red onion, garlic and red chili to a pan with the peanut oil and stir fry on medium heat for 5-6 mins. Add the vegetable stock, brown sugar, soy sauce and grated ginger and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer for 10 mins. Turn off the heat and melt in the miso paste.
3. In a separate bowl combine the soy sauce, vinegar, sugar, ginger and garlic powder to make the teriyaki sauce. Add the cornstarch and water to thicken. 
4. In a pan on medium heat with the vegetable oil, brown the tofu. Once golden, turn off the heat and pour in the teriyaki sauce. Stir to glaze the tofu. 
5. Cook the udon noodles as per the directions on the package. Drain, rinse under cold water and place in two bowls. 
6. Split the broth from step 2 into the two bowls and top with the teriyaki tofu, carrots, shiso leaves, benishouga, and sesame seeds.

*Available in our Creative Beginnings: Redefining “Wa” Care Package

Recipe intro provided by Britney Budiman

Britney Budiman (@booritney) is a writer, minimalist, aspiring effective altruist, and runner-in-progress with a penchant for saying “yes.” Previously, she has worked in Cambodia at a traditional arts NGO, in Brazil as a social sciences researcher, and in San Francisco at a housing start-up. She currently lives in the countryside of Kagoshima, Japan, where she teaches English. Her favorite thing in the world is good conversation.