Sweet and crispy Fried Tofu with Hoisin and Peanut Sauce Noodles is an easy weeknight dish that comes together in just an hour! It’s the perfect response to someone who asks “but where do you get your protein?”
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Fried Tofu with Hoisin and Peanut Sauce Noodles
I’m so excited to be sharing a recipe with you today from my good friend Ginny’s new book, The High Protein Vegan Cookbook. You may know Ginny from her popular blog Vegan in the Freezer. Ginny’s Fried Tofu with Hoisin and Peanut Sauce Noodles is a super quick meal to put together, and is super tasty! And….wait for it….it’s super high in protein! But I bet you already knew that!
Where Do You Get Your Protein?
Ah, the infamous question asked to vegans. Where do you get your protein. There are so many answers here that it’s hard to pick the right one. The obvious is “food.” You could tell them you get your protein from the same place some of Earth’s largest and strongest herbivores get theirs—you know, gorillas, elephants, and rhinos? Or you could tell them that you get protein from the same place that their protein gets their protein—PLANTS! Protein adds up quickly and is found in all sorts of plant food. This yummy Fried Tofu with Hoisin and Peanut Sauce Noodles weighs in at a whopping 30+ grams of protein per serving! That’s more than half of the recommended daily protein for most adults!
Hoisin Sauce
Hoisin Sauce is one of my favorite condiments! It’s got a bit of sweetness to it, like a barbeque sauce, but it’s so much more than that. And a little hard to describe. A combination of both sweet and savory! I have good memories of ordering mu shu pancakes with my dad as a kid, just so that I could have a delivery system for the hoisin. In this recipe the tofu is given a quick marinade in the hoisin sauce. It imparts such a lovely color to the otherwise very plain tofu, and makes for such a pretty dish.
The High Protein Vegan Cookbook
As I’m sure you could guess from the title, Ginny’s book is full of protein packed vegan recipes! The book is divided into chapters, focusing on appetizers, breakfast, lunches, portable snacks, dinners, and even an entire chapter dedicated to seitan! She includes all kinds of sources for protein—tofu, tempeh, seitan, beans, and nuts. Each recipe features a gorgeous color photograph, with easy to follow instructions, as well as a protein count!
Peanut Sauce
The Fried Tofu with Hoisin in this dish is served on a bed of udon noodles, with a really simple savory peanut sauce. For those of you who have been following my blog for some time now, you’re probably thinking “but isn’t Jonny allergic to peanuts?” He is….for now….but we’re actually challenging peanuts at his allergist’s office next week! In the meantime, I like to substitute peanut butter with “soynut butter.” It’s a spread made from toasted soybeans that tastes very similar to peanut butter. It’s a one for one swap, as simple as switching dairy milk for non dairy milk in a recipe. Sunbutter is another option, and while it’s great in sandwiches and sweet applications, I don’t love it for savory dinners.
More Tofu Recipes that you will Love!
- Sweet and Sour Tofu
- Pizza Tofu Nuggets
- Baked Tofu with Tomatoes, Lemon, and Capers
- Fajita Tofu Scramble
- Teriyaki Tofu
Let’s get cooking!
I hope you enjoy this recipe from the High Protein Vegan Cookbook! You’re just an hour away from a delicious, protein packed dinner! And don’t forget to order yourself a copy!
Fried Tofu with Hoisin and Peanut Butter Sauce Noodles
Ingredients
- ½ cup hoisin sauce
- 4 Tablespoons soy sauce divided
- 8 ounces extra-firm tofu, drained, pressed, and cubed (see notes)
- ¼ cup cornstarch or potato starch
- 2 Tablespoons coconut oil
- 7 ounces packaged organic udon
- noodles
- ½ cup plus 2 tablespoons vegetable broth
- ¼ cup peanut butter (see notes)
- 5 ounces baby spinach
Instructions
- Mix the hoisin and 2 tablespoons soy sauce in a small bowl. Add the cubed tofu, toss, and let marinate for 30 minutes.
- Place the cornstarch on a large plate. Remove the tofu from marinade and lay out on cornstarch, tossing to coat all sides. (Reserve the marinade for drizzling at the end.)
- Heat the oil over medium-high heat in a large skillet. Add the tofu to the hot oil and fry on all sides. Set aside.
- Fill a large saucepan with water and cover. Bring to a boil and add the udon. Cook for 5 minutes and drain. Set aside.
- Add the broth, peanut butter, and remaining soy sauce to the same saucepan and bring to a boil. Turn down the heat and cook for 2 minutes, then add the udon back into the pan. Coat the udon with the sauce. Add the spinach to the pot and stir into the sauce and noodles. Continue cooking, on low, for about 3 minutes until the spinach wilts.
- Remove from the heat and divide between two bowls. Place half of the tofu on top of each bowl of udon. Drizzle the remaining hoisin mixture over the top.
Notes
Tofu
We are voracious eaters in my family, and we love tofu! I actually used 2 blocks (32 ounces) of tofu with the same marinade and had plenty! If your family is like mine, and loves their tofu, feel free to increase the amount.Peanut Butter
If you have peanut allergies you can substitute the peanut butter with "soynut butter." I like the brand Wow Butter.Special thanks to Ginny McMeans and The High Protein Vegan Cookbook for sharing this recipe!
Excellent, excellent, excellent. What a wonderful review and I thank you so much! I’m so glad you all enjoyed it so much and that there was plenty of sauce for a lot more tofu. Beautiful photography too. I’ve been clicking around on your tofu recipe links. Yum!
Of course, Ginny! Thank YOU for sharing your recipe with all of us! Yes, tofu for life! It’s my favorite food group!