Here’s a quick, gluten-free and low-carb weeknight meal of chewy mushrooms, slippery noodles, and greens. This noodle dish is stocky, not quite a soup, but stockier than a pasta. Best eaten with chopsticks or a fork … then use a spoon for the tasty clear brown stock.
Our editor, Michael Flamini, first told us about tofu noodles and how popular they are in NYC. We requested them at our supermarket in Ithaca, and they showed up a couple of weeks later. So if you don’t find them, ask your market to stock them, and maybe they’ll appear.
Serves 2
Time: 30 minutes
6 dried shiitake mushrooms
Boiling water
Salt
8 ounces tofu noodles*
2 to 3 teaspoons vegetable oil
1 garlic clove, minced or pressed
1 tablespoon peeled and grated fresh ginger
6 ounces fresh mushrooms, such as white, cremini, oyster, or shiitake, but not portobello (about 2 cups sliced)
About 2 cups sliced bok choy, leaves and stems separated
2 tablespoons dry sherry
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
1 cup water or vegetable stock
1 scallion, sliced
*The Japanese name for tofu noodles is shirataki. Tofu noodles are firmer and chewier than wheat pasta and are available in several forms, such as spaghetti or fettuccine. Look for shirataki in a plastic bag, squishy with water, in the refrigerator case at Asian or natural foods stores or the supermarket.
Place the dried mushrooms in a bowl and add just enough boiling water to cover. Set aside. Bring a medium pot of salted water to a boil for cooking the tofu noodles. Prep the other ingredients and have them close at hand before you begin to stir-fry.
Boil the tofu noodles for 2 to 3 minutes, drain, and set aside.
In a soup pot or wok on medium-high heat, warm the oil. Add the garlic and ginger, stir-fry briefly, then add the fresh mushrooms and bok choy stems and stir-fry for a minute. Add the sherry, soy sauce, and vinegar and continue stir-frying for another minute before adding the water or stock. Simmer, covered, for 3 minutes.
Meanwhile, drain the softened dried shiitakes, reserving the soaking liquid. Remove and discard the woody stems and thinly slice the caps. Add the sliced shiitakes and liquid to the pot and simmer for about 3 minutes. Add the bok choy greens and cook for a minute, then add the drained noodles.
Serve in bowls, garnished with the scallion.
This dish could be made with other sorts of noodles, but then you don’t get the same nutritional value, nor the fun of eating noodles made of tofu.
This dish has an intense umami and no starch, so you could serve it with Sweet Potatoes with Bitter Orange (skip the feta). For dessert, you’ll want something light, fruity, and refreshing, such as Coconut-Pineapple Sorbet or a citrus salad.