Tofu Udon with String Beans

Ingredients

Sauce

• 1/2 a cup of water
• 1/4 cup of ketchup
• 1/4 cup of soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons of peanut butter
• 1 tablespoon of brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon of sambal oelek

Noodles & Tofu

• 1lb/454g of firm tofu
• 3 tablespoons of canola oil
• 2 sliced cloves of garlic
• 1 teaspoon of minced ginger
• 1/2 lb / 227g of string beans
• 2lb/1kg of fresh udon noodles
• 2 sliced green onions
• 1/4 cup of roasted peanuts

Directions

1. Whisk all the sauce ingredients together in a bowl and add pepper to taste.
2. Set a pan on medium-high heat, grease the pan with the canola oil and fry the tofu until golden brown (roughly 10 minutes). Add the garlic and ginger then continue cooking while stirring for 1 minute before adding the sauce. Make sure to coat the tofu thoroughly and turn off the heat when the sauce bubbles and begins to thicken.
3. While the tofu is frying, boil the string beans in a pot of salted water for 3 minutes. Rinse the cooked beans in cold water to stop the cooking and slice them in half lengthwise. Set them aside for later.
4. In the same pot, cook the udon for 3 minutes, reserve a cup of the cooking water and drain.
5. Add the udon and string beans into the sauce and let them mix evenly.
6. Serve on deep dishes and sprinkle with peanuts and green onions for garnish and texture.

Notes

The string beans are cut lengthwise because they absorb the sauce better; not because we like to make you suffer.