Easy Vegan Satay Noodles with Tofu

🗒 Ingredients notes

• Peanut butter sauce: you can find the BEST peanut butter sauce recipe here. You will only need half of the batch from the recipe. You can make the whole batch and keep the other half for later, such as to use as a dipping sauce for egg rolls or rice paper rolls. Or, simply make half of it just for this noodle dish. To make it, you will need natural peanut butter, soy sauce, rice vinegar, maple syrup, garlic and some fresh ginger. This time, instead of using a blender as described in the recipe, I simply whisked the ingredients in a medium bowl until smooth. The blender works better on smaller volumes.
• Coconut cream: you can find it in most grocery stores. You have two choices: 1- use a small can of unsweetened coconut cream (5.4 oz) or 2- if you cannot find it, then simply use the top solid part of a regular can of unsweetened coconut milk. To ensure there is a solid cream that forms well and that's easily scoopable, you can transfer the can of coconut milk into the fridge for 1-2 hours prior to using. Check out my video (at 0:38) on how to make a vegan mascarpone cheese to see how I get coconut cream from a can of coconut milk. Use the extra coconut water to make smoothies!
• Tofu: use an extra-firm tofu for the best texture and crispier result.
• Noodles: I used buckwheat soba noodles from the brand Lotus, but you can use your favorite noodles to make this recipe. Other ideas include udon noodles, rice noodles, flat pad Thai noodles and ramen noodles (egg-free to keep it vegan). In a pinch, regular spaghetti noodles work too. 
• Soy sauce: a small amount is used to flavor the tofu before pan-frying it.
• Cornstarch: helps the tofu be crispier while cooking.
• Fresh vegetables: I used a combination of broccoli, red bell pepper and bok choy. See below for more ideas!

⭐️ Full ingredient list with quantities down below in the recipe card!

📝 Variations to the recipe

This recipe is pretty versatile and you can use different noodles, veggies and even adjust the flavor of the sauce to your preference. Here are a few ideas;

• Vegetables: you can cook other vegetables if you prefer, such as mushrooms, cauliflower, snap peas or zucchini. 
• Garlic: there is garlic in the peanut sauce, but feel free to add some to the pan when cooking the vegetables to make this dish stronger in garlicky flavor.
• Lime: I like to serve with lime wedges, but you can also add some lime juice to the sauce for a more tangy flavor.
• Protein: other plant-based proteins you can try instead of tofu are edamame, tempeh, chickpeas or seitan. Skip the quick soy sauce marinade and cornstarch in that case.

Prepare the crispy tofu and noodles

Bring a medium-large pot of water to a boil and then cook the noodles according to the package instructions (keep them al dente or even slightly undercooked). Then, drain, rinse and set them aside until ready to assemble the dish.

Drain the tofu from its packaging and wrap the bloc in a few layers of paper towels or a clean hand towel. Remove as much moisture as you can and then, slice the tofu into cubes of about 1 inch thick.

Transfer the cubes of tofu to a bowl, add the soy sauce and toss the cubes. Let them sit until the soy sauce is mostly absorbed, about 10 minutes. Then, add the cornstarch and toss.

Warm up a large non-stick pan with a little oil and then add the tofu. Disperse them well all over the pan so they don't stick together and cook on medium-high heat flipping them once in a while until golden brown on each side. This can take up to 20 minutes (this can be a good time to make the peanut sauce too).

Once the tofu is done, transfer to a large plate and set aside.

Cook the vegetables

Put the pan back on the stove and add a little more oil if desired. Then, add the broccoli and cook for a few minutes on medium-high heat stirring often. You can add a little water to help them stem. 

Once they are more tender but still crunchy, then add the red pepper and cook for 2-3 more minutes. Then add the bok choy and keep cooking and stirring until the veggies are done to your liking.

Add the peanut butter sauce and coconut cream to the pan with the veggies and stir to combine. The coconut cream will slowly melt and become more saucy.

Combine and serve

Then, transfer the cooked noodles and fried tofu to the pan and fold them in the saucy veggies. Keep cooking for 1-2 minutes just to warm up everything together, then serve.

💡 Helpful tips

• It is important not to overcook the noodles. You can cook them for 1-2 minutes less than recommended by the packaging, they will finish up cooking in the sauce at the end.
• You can use sesame oil for cooking the vegetables and tofu to add more flavor.
• If using a large bok choy instead of a few baby bok choy, then you might want to add the thicker stem parts first, cook for 1-2 minutes, then add the delicate leafy green parts. 
• Be patient while roasting the tofu! Ensure all the sides are cooked and browned, which will give the best texture to the dish. Try to individually flip the pieces as you go. It often takes me up to 20 minutes to do that. During that time, you can prep the peanut sauce, clean and chop the veggies, cook the noodles, etc.
• I used a package of 8 oz of noodles for making this recipe, but you could use more, such as 10 oz. There are enough veggies and sauce to take on more noodles, which can be a good idea if serving more people or want leftovers.

🍽Serving suggestions

Garnish your dish with something crunchy, like salted chopped peanuts or roasted cashews. You can also top your vegan satay bowl with fresh cilantro, green onion, lime wedges and sesame seeds. To add some heat, serve with a little red pepper flakes, chili oil, a drizzle of sriracha or your favorite hot sauce.

You can also serve this noodle dish with more Asian-inspired recipes, such as:

• Vegan egg rolls
• Edamame crunch salad
• Gochujang soup
• Asian carrot cucumber salad
• Crispy Thai Brussels sprouts
• Miso glazed aubergine

❗️Storage tips

This recipe makes for great leftovers for the next day! The noodles tend to stick together while resting, but although the texture might change a little bit, we found the leftovers just as delicious.

Keep them in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.

To reheat, you can use the microwave or a small pan. Add a splash of water to loosen up the sauce consistency.

I do not recommend freezing this recipe since the noodles would turn mushy and too soft after thawing.

❓ FAQs

🌱More vegan noodle recipes you might like

• Spicy garlic noodles
• Quick kale sesame noodles
• Vegan kimchi ramen noodles
• Cold vegan peanut noodles
• Teriyaki udon noodles
• Vietnamese stir-fried noodles
• Vegan garlic udon noodles
• Vegan vermicelli tofu bowl
• 20-min creamy miso udon noodles

I hope you like this vegan satay noodle recipe as much as we do! If you try it, please leave a comment below and rate the recipe to let me know how it was. Your feedback is so helpful!

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