When I was a pescatarian for four years in the 1990s, festivals and outdoor events had little to offer non-meat eaters.  By little, I mean jacket potatoes, filled with beans and cheese. Stir frying in the home had become mainstream several years earlier and eventually, event catering caught on to the trend and started serving overpriced yet worthy-looking vegetable noodles. I can remember sitting on damp grass on a cloudy day, surrounded by hotdog vans, listening to yet another guitar band who wanted to be Nirvana, eating a tray of oily noodles mixed with fried cabbage ends that I had probably paid a 600% markup for.  It goes without saying, that I wouldn’t change that for a thing.  The thought of being a curious, lead singer-loving, noodle-seeking teenager and having access to a mobile phone and the internet positively terrifies me.  I am very grateful for growing up on the edge of the Information Age.

It seems only fitting that I should honour this memory of my historical dalliance with more compassionate consumerism by revisiting and improving this dish, as I cling on to the memories of my youth and revive my meatless diet.

The crispy hoisin tofu is a simple way of boosting overall protein, providing a satisfyingly chewy texture and a sweet-salt flavour to the meal, when paired with the simple vegetables and noodles. These dishes are technically two or three separate meals that could be prepared and eaten in their own right, but for me, part of the pleasure of Asian inspired food is found in eating more than one dish simultaneously.  Perfect for the hungry and indecisive people in your life.

Like much of my cooking, this is a meal that can be put together in minutes by buying prepared stir fry vegetables, although you are very welcome to slice up your own favourite vegetables instead.

INGREDIENTS (Serves 2-3)

250-300g firm tofu

1 tbsp olive or vegetable oil

3 tbsp hoisin sauce, shop bought

2-3 nests of dried wholewheat noodles or any noodle of your choice

3-4 cups of mixed stir fry vegetables

2 mushrooms sliced thinly

1 small onion sliced thinly

2 garlic cloves crushed or finely chopped

1 tbsp sesame oil

1 tsp ground ginger

1 tsp Chinese five spice or mixed spice

Dark soy sauce

Light soy sauce

METHOD

Drain the tofu and cut into 1-2cm chunks. Heat the olive oil in a non-stick frying pan and fry the tofu on a medium heat, turning each chunk as each side goes golden, this will take around 10 minutes altogether, during this time you can cook the noodles and vegetables.

Add the dried noodles to a pan of boiling water and boil for 5 minutes or until soft. Drain, return to the pan and cover in 1/2 tbsp sesame oil, a generous splash of dark soy and the thinly sliced mushrooms. The sesame oil will add flavour and prevent the noodles sticking to the pan. Stir fry gently over a low heat until the mushrooms are just starting to cook. Turn off the heat.

Keep a mindful eye on the tofu and when it’s golden on all sides, stir through 1 tbsp of hoisin sauce and turn off the heat.

Heat 1/2 tbsp sesame oil in a wok and stir fry the spices, garlic and onion for 1 minute on a high heat, moving them constantly, add several splashes of light soy sauce, 1 tbsp water (to create steam) and then add the stir fry vegetables, fry for 3-4 minutes, keeping the vegetables moving to prevent burning.

Serve the vegetables and noodles in a bowl and the crispy tofu chunks on the side with extra hoisin sauce for dipping.