Noodles and Vegetables with Sesame Dipping Sauce
Serves 6
30 minutes or fewer
Warm up on a chilly evening with a nourishing noodle dish that’s loaded with steamed vegetables. Feel free to substitute any veggies you have on hand in place of one or all that are used in this recipe. To have enough to make Fast Pho the next day, reserve half of the prepared ingredients (6 cups vegetables, 2 cups noodles, 3/4 cup cubed tofu, and 3/8 cup Sesame Dipping Sauce).
Sesame Dipping Sauce
- ¼ cup low-sodium tamari
- 2 Tbs. lime juice
- 2 Tbs. minced fresh ginger
- 2 Tbs. rice vinegar
- 4 cloves garlic
- 1 Tbs. agave nectar
- 1 Tbs. hot chile sauce, such as sambal oelek
- 1 Tbs. toasted sesame oil
Noodles and Vegetables
- 4 baby bok choy, quartered lengthwise
- 4 large carrots, peeled, thinly sliced on sharp diagonal
- 8 oz. snow peas, trimmed
- 1 14-oz. pkg. firm tofu, drained, patted dry, and cut into 2- x ½-inch pieces
- 8 oz. thin rice noodles (rice vermicelli)
- 3 green onions, thinly sliced
- 1 ½ tsp. toasted sesame seeds
1. To make Sesame Dipping Sauce: Blend all ingredients in blender until smooth. Set aside.
2. To make Noodles and Vegetables: Set steamer rack in large skillet, and add 1 cup water to bottom of skillet. Bring water to boil over high heat. Arrange bok choy on rack, reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and steam bok choy 1 minute. Add carrots, snow peas, and tofu to rack, and steam 2 minutes more.
3. Meanwhile, bring large pot of water to a boil. Cook rice noodles in boiling water 3 minutes. Remove noodles from cooking water with fork or tongs (this helps prevent them from sticking together), and divide among 6 bowls. Divide vegetables and tofu among bowls, arranging around noodles. Sprinkle with green onions and sesame seeds. Divide Sesame Dipping Sauce among bowls (2 Tbs. per serving), and serve with noodles. Dip vegetables, tofu, and noodles into sauce while eating.
October 2011 p.42
The rating system wouldn't let me save this as 4 stars despite numerous attempts. This recipe was delicious! I made some changes, using what I had on hand. Sauteed mushrooms to add to the bowl. Used napa cabbage and rainbow chard instead of bok choy. Definitely used the carrots, tofu and thin rice noodles. Heated and added some good quality veggie broth to make it a kind of soup. Poured some of the sauce over top, which I'd made spicier to suit taste. It was a large meal but super low in calories and left me feeling very satisfied. This recipe is a real keeper.
Barbara Tully - 2013-02-16 14:24:44