This is inspired by a wagamama dish, from their restaurants & recipe book. It’s a long standing favourite. Recently I went back to wagamama for the first time in years, and I’m pretty sure our rendition is better!

Ingredients

  • 2 servings of precooked Udon noodles, we use Tesco own brand
  • 1 pack of extra firm tofu (200g), cut into 0.5cm slices
  • 5 tbsp cornflour
  • 0.25 tsp smoked paprika, just for color
  • 1 tsp beef flavour stock powder
  • veg oil
  • 200g or so mushrooms, sliced, we use oyster
  • for the sauce:
    • 0.5 tsp garlic powder
    • 2 tbsp soy sauce
    • 1 tbsp vinegar, we use rice vinegar
    • 0.5 tsp sugar
    • dash sesame oil
  • 3 tbsp curry paste, we use Jamie Oliver’s madras curry paste
  • 500ml veg stock
  • 100g pack spring onions
  • some extra veg, pick from:
    • 1 carrot peeled
    • or 2 pak choi, sliced
    • or the greens from a cauliflower, sliced

Method

Slice the tofu, rougly 0.5cm thick slices. Put the 5 tbsp cornflour in a takeaway tub with a lid, add the 0.25 tsp smoked paprika, a couple of grinds black pepper, and 1 tsp beef stock powder. Add the sliced tofu and shake until well coated.
Heat a non-stick frying pan with a generous layer of veg oil. Fry tofu on high heat until crispy and golden on both sides, then set aside.

Using any excess oil from the tofu, add the sliced mushrooms to the same frying pan on high. While the mushrooms are cooking, prepare the sauce. In a small glass or bowl, mix the 0.5 tsp garlic powder, 2 tbsp soy sauce, 1 tbsp vinegar, 0.5 tsp sugar, and dash of sesame oil.
Once mushrooms are golden, turn off the heat and add the sauce to the pan. Wait for the sauce to be absorbed by the mushrooms. Remove and set aside.

In a large saucepan, add the 3 tbsp curry paste, fry for a few moments until fragrant. Add the 500 ml veg stock, bring to a simmer. Add the 2 servings precooked udon noodles, and the prepared extra veg. Add the sliced whites of the spring onions. Cook for 5 mins until the veg is cooked, but still crunchy. Add the cooked mushrooms.

To serve, divide the tofu between the bowls, pour over the hot broth and noodes. Top with the remaining spring onion and sesame seeds. Enjoy!