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Noodles and Tofu

A stir‑fry of wheat noodles, tofu, choy sum, ginger, and sambal oelek with lemon juice.

From the Recipes Wiki (Fandom) · 11 ingredients
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Why it works: Ginger and mung bean work together. They rank in the top 4% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 47 recipes. Both carry decanal, which smells soap, orange peel. The science ↓

Noodles and Tofu

Time2 minutes

Ingredients

Directions

Prepare

  1. Soak dried tofu slices in hot water for 15 minutes.

  2. When softened, cut into 1" squares, drain, and pat dry.

  3. Cook the wheat noodles in boiling water until al dente, a little firm. Drain, rinse under cold water, and drain again.

Fry the tofu

  1. Heat oil in wok over high heat, and deep‑fry the tofu cubes until golden brown. Remove from pan and drain.

  2. Next deep‑fry the squares of dried tofu until golden brown and slightly blistered; remove and drain.

Stir-fry and serve

  1. Heat sesame oil in another wok on full heat; sauté the minced ginger for 1 minute.

  2. Add the asafoetida and choy sum and stir‑fry until soft.

  3. Add the soy sauce, sambal oelek, lemon juice, tofu, and noodles. Stir‑fry for another 2 minutes or until the noodles are hot.

  4. Serve immediately.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

218Calories
9 gProtein
18 gFat
7 gCarbs

Counts 5 of 9 ingredients. The other 4 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.

What these numbers assume: 5 portions
IngredientPortion assumedkcal
Olive Oil1 tbsp (14g)119
Tofu100g firm76
Lemonjuice of 1 lemon (48ml)12
Soy Sauce1 tbsp (15ml)9
Ginger1 tsp grated fresh (2g)2
Wheatnot in our table0
Asafoetidanot in our table0
Sambalnot in our table0
Mung Beannot in our table0

One typical portion per ingredient; the recipe's quantities are not counted. A rough guide only, not for medical or dietary planning.

Recipe from the Recipes Wiki (Fandom).

Steps grouped into stages for easier reading; the method is the source's own.

Explore the science

The flavor team

The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much their aromas overlap, and how often cooks already put them together.

  1. Ginger + mung beantop 4% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together47 recipes

    Shared aroma: decanal (soap, orange peel).

  2. Ginger + lemontop 5% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together5,154 recipes

    Shared aroma: beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene).

  3. Tofu + mung beantop 7% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together13 recipes

    Shared aroma: acetoin (butter, cream).

  4. Tofu + gingertop 8% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together284 recipes

    Shared aroma: methyl 2-methylbutyrate (fruity, apple).

  5. Tofu + wheattop 8% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together48 recipes

    Shared aroma: (z)-4-heptenal (biscuit, cream).

Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs

What each ingredient does

Firm tofu
Provides protein-rich body and, once fried, a golden crust with a soft interior.
Dried tofu
Frying gives it a golden, slightly blistered crust and a chewy, firm texture.
Wheat noodles
Form the bulk of the dish, with a firm, al dente bite that holds up to stir-frying.
Soy sauce
Adds salty, savoury depth that seasons the noodles and tofu.
Lemon juice
Adds acidity that brightens the sauce and balances the salty and spicy flavours.
Fresh ginger
Adds a sharp, aromatic warmth that is released when sautéed in oil.

The step that matters

Rinse and drain the noodles well before stir-frying. Cooking to a slightly firm bite and rinsing away surface starch keeps noodles from clumping and turning gummy when they are tossed in the hot wok.

Swap the asafoetida

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (tofu, wheat, ginger, sauce, sambal, lemon, mung bean):

  1. Turmericfits better
  2. Corianderfits better
  3. Cuminfits better
  4. Asafoetidathe original

Fit is the average pairing score against tofu, wheat, ginger, sauce, sambal, lemon, mung bean. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.

“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.

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