Udon Noodles with Tofu, Mushrooms and Spinach

My love for Asian food grows day after day. One day I visited an Asian supermarket in Helsinki and bought me a packet of fresh udon noodles. I had never cooked them before and was curious about their pale white, thick and soft appearance. This simple wok dish was so, so delicious (I mean, I cannot underline its deliciousness enough…there just aren’t words for that) that I cannot believe how easy it was to prepare and how little effort it requires from you. You can also use dry noodles but if you can get the fresh ones, I’d prefer those.

I’m about to write another post about how to properly fry and marinate tofu for Asian dishes, to get the best out of it, so stay tuned. Meanwhile, do yourself a favor and try this simple recipe here. You will return to it over and over again.

This portion was enough for two hungry people (or one hungry and one very hungry). And a word of warning: even you would not be that hungry, you just can’t stop eating this.

Udon Noodles with Tofu, Mushrooms and Spinach

600g fresh udon noodles (or 250g dried udon noodles)

200g firm tofu, cubed

150g shiitake mushrooms, whole

100g white button mushrooms, sliced

150g baby spinach

1 tablespoon canola oil

1 tablespoon fresh ginger, peeled and finely chopped

3 cloves garlic, finely chopped

3 tablespoons soy sauce

2 tablespoons ketjap manis (sweet Indonesian soy sauce)

2 teaspoons fresh chili paste

2 teaspoons sesame oil

finely chopped scallions to garnish

Bring water to a boil in a large saucepan. Boil the noodles according to the package directions. Drain.

Fry the tofu cubes on a dry frying pan (don’t use oil!) on a medium heat until they are golden on each side. Set aside.

Heat the canola oil in a wok or a large skillet. Add chopped garlic and ginger, and fry on a medium heat for 30 seconds. Add the shiitakes and button mushrooms and continue frying for 5 minutes more.

Add the baby spinach one handful at the time into the wok until it all cooks down. Add the noodles, tofu, soy sauce, ketjap manis, sesame oil and chili paste and toss well to incorporate all ingredients.

Serve with scallions and sriracha sauce, if you like it hot (like I do).