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Ingredients:
For the chili sesame sauce:
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/3 cup sesame oil
1/3 cups light soy sauce (I use low-sodium to be a bit healthier)
1/4 cup rice vinegar
2 tablespoons chili paste
2 tablespoons sugar
1 garlic clove, minced
1 knob of fresh ginger, peeled and grated
For the zoodles and tofu:
12 ounces firm tofu
4-6 zucchini
Sesame seeds and scallions for topping
Instructions:
To begin, make the sauce. Mix together all the ingredients. A simple way to do this is to put them all into a large jar and shake it or you could also put them together in a food processor for about 10 to 15 seconds. If neither of those are options, just mix them together in a deep bowl.
Once all the ingredients are mixed together, set them aside. If you plan on serving the dish cold (which is extra refreshing), place the sauce in the refrigerator while you prepare the tofu and zoodles.
For the tofu, start by pressing the excess moisture out of the tofu. Then, cut it into bite sized pieces. To cook them, heat a tiny bit of oil in a nonstick pan. Then add the tofu pieces and stir fry them until they are golden brown. Next, add about a 1/2 cup of the sauce and allow the tofu to simmer in the sauce. Let it simmer until the sauce begins to evaporate or absorb into the tofu and it becomes browned in the pan.
Gently flip and scrape brown bits of tofu off the bottom of the pan throughout the frying. After a while you should end up with some nicely browned tofu with some browned bits from the sauce coating the cubes.
To finish, make the zoodles and toss each portion with about 1/4 cup of sauce. Top the sauce with the tofu, sesame seeds and scallions.
Serve immediately and enjoy this refreshing meal.
Commentary:
This meal is a great summer meal as it is super fresh and refreshing, especially when served cold. My mother found this recipe and altered it to fit our family. Since then, I’ve loved it and remade it several times.
This recipe is, obviously, made with zoodles which are noodles made out of zucchini. They’re a great low-carb and healthier alternative to pasta meals. However, if you prefer regular pasta noodles, substitute those for the zoodles.
In this recipe, I don’t cook the zoodles. I like this dish to feel more like a cold salad and for it to be creamy and crunchy. The sauce will add moisture to the zoodles, so they’re not too hard and may be a little watery even.
If you plan on storing this, I would recommend storing the sauce separate from the zoodles and tofu then mixing it all together when you serve it. This prevents the zoodles from becoming too saturated in the sauce and having too much moisture.