Happy September! And (at least for us here in the northeast US) the weather has been spectacular. Perfect, in fact, to cozy up with a bowl of these super easy noodles! These slightly spicy vegan cashew szechuan noodles were inspired by my son Jack’s favorite Noodle Bar in Philly, Cheu Noodle. He is back to school in DC, but before leaving he challenged me with creating something similar to the dish he raved over.
“Peanut” Noodles with cashew Butter instead
Jack had the ever popular peanut noodles there, but I thought that I could do something similar with cashew butter. Personally, I like this better! The flavor is a little milder and is not overwhelmed by a peanut taste. Plus, its a great sub for anyone out there with a peanut allergy. (or if you hate peanut butter. Kitty?…Peggy?…) Segue to my plug for an earlier post and I insist that you try this super simple cashew butter recipe. Click here!
Yes, you can buy cashew butter, but most commercially available brands have added oil. Just saying.
Simple Veggie Add-Ins
Very thinly sliced cucumbers and radishes (as served at Cheu Noodle) were a must. I threw in broccoli as Tony doesn’t like tofu (not that he as ever tried it 😉 ) and broccoli-in addition to tofu- works well. Yes, I have had a habit throwing any and all vegetables in my dishes, but again, Jack was right by insisting on simplicity. These veggies provide the perfect backdrop to the noodles and sauce. In this case, less is more.
No Fear Tofu
I admit it. Tofu used to frighten me. As a newbie vegan I had tried it (because aren’t vegans supposed to like tofu?) and grew to really love it, especially if prepared well. But like anything new, I had no idea how to work with it and found it frankly intimidating. YouTube, Instagram, Google…these all had a wealth of information regarding tofu uses and preparation, so I availed myself of the infoweb and now have several go-to tofu recipes. For this dish, I tweaked Maggie Zhu’s Crispy Tofu without Deep Frying, by using a cast iron pan sans oil.
Tofoodies (it should be a word, people) will agree that the first step in preparing tofu requires moisture removal. Slicing the tofu first into bite sized pieces makes this a quick and dirty process:
Bite sized extra firm tofu is sliced into one inch squares, wrapped in paper towel and weighted with cast iron pan for about 15 minutes.
Tofu is fairly bland but is a master at soaking up whatever flavors you fancy. For this recipe, a simple marinade of tamari and maple syrup works perfectly. After about 15 minutes, toss the drained tofu into your marinade.
Tofu is a sponge that loves to soak in the flavors!
Let the tofu hang in the marinade for 15-20 minutes, then drain and gently toss the tofu pieces in cornstarch. In a cast iron pan,”fry” the tofu with a little cooking spray, turning pieces every few minutes until golden brown. That’s it. The tofu is ready!
Putting it all together
While the tofu marinates, prepare the vegan cashew szechuan sauce in a blender or food processor and set it aside.
I dumped the ingredients in a mini-chopper, blended well and then added water to obtain the perfect consistency.
Next, slice up the cucumbers and radishes (super thin) and cut the broccoli into bite-size pieces. Sauté the broccoli in a large cast iron pan until bright green and crispy and set that aside, too. Now you are ready to brown the tofu as above. Once the tofu is done, pop that on the plate with the broccoli and prepare the udon noodles.
Using the same cast iron pan, I tossed in the szechuan sauce, broccoli and tofu to warm. I then added the drained udon noodles and tossed it all to combine.
One pan action as the tofu and broccoli are combined with sauce and noodles…I dare you not to taste before serving!
Plate with cukes, radishes and a handful of chopped almonds and scallions, your Vegan Cashew Szechuan Noodles are ready to be served…and devoured. Mwah! 
- 8 ounces extra firm tofu
- 1 T tamari
- 1 T maple syrup
- 2-3 T cornstarch
- 1/3 cup cashew butter
- 2 garlic cloves
- 2 T rice vinegar
- 1 teaspoon brown sugar
- 2 t fresh ginger
- 2 T tamari
- 1 T sriracha
- 1/4 t dry mustard See Sound Bites below to learn why this is essential
- 1/3 cup water
- 1 large crown broccoli
- 1 cucumber
- 1 radish
- 8 ounces udon noodles
- 1/4 cup almonds chopped optional for garnish
- 1/4 cup thinly sliced green onions optional for garnish
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Prepare the tofu, by draining from the package and slicing into one inch squares.
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Wrap tofu in paper towels and weight down with a heavy object (I used a cast iron pan) for 15-20 minutes.
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Mix the tamari (or soy sauce) and maple syrup in a plastic baggie.
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When the tofu has drained, carefully place in the baggie and turn baggie over to cover all of the tofu.
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While the tofu marinates, place all of the ingredients for the sauce (except for the water!) in a small blender or processor.
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Blend until creamy.
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Add 1/3 cup water to processor and blend, adding more or less for desired consistency.
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Set aside.
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Slice the cucumber and radishes super thin and set aside on a plate.
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Chop broccoli into bite-sized pieces.
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Spray a large cast iron skillet with cooking spray.
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Sauté broccoli over medium heat until bright green and crispy.
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Set aside.
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Place cornstarch in a small bowl.
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Drain tofu and place tofu in the bowl with cornstarch to coat.
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Spray a little more cooking spray in the same pan used for broccoli and brown the tofu pieces over medium heat, turning every few minutes until all sides are golden.
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Add broccoli and sauce back to the pan with the tofu and warm on low heat.
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Prepare noodles (udon usually are done after 4 minutes), drain and add to cast iron pan.
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Mix everything well to coat with sauce, adding water if necessary.
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Plate and garnish with almonds and green onions.
Broccoli's cancer-fighting ingredient is called sulforophane. It is activated by chewing RAW broccoli and, until recently, folks thought broccoli needed to be ingested raw to gain this benefit. Recent studies have found that adding a little mustard seed to cooked broccoli will increase the production of sulforophane. Amazing! Check out this video for more info.
