Sesame Soba Noodle Bowl with Crispy Tofu

Tofu wasn’t something I ate much of at home until I learned how to cook it correctly. Even when I was a strict vegetarian, my tofu always came out tasting bland and mushy. The only time I enjoyed it was when I ordered it for takeout in Thai curry or vegetarian pho, where the cubes always arrived golden-brown and crisped to perfection.

Years after I’d given up my vegetarian ways, I discovered how to re-create this type of tofu at home, and it has since become one of my favorite plant-based proteins. This noodle bowl is a great way to make it a meal. The pan-fried crunchy tofu squares are the perfect topping for warm soba noodles that have been tossed in a creamy sesame-ginger sauce, and shaved carrots and chopped scallions add color and freshness. This one-bowl meal is wholesome and satisfying, no matter if you’re meatless or you simply want to eat less meat.

There are many ways to cook tofu, from scrambling it to blending it into a dip and everything in between. My favorite preparation, though, is when it’s served up crispy and golden-brown. To achieve this in restaurants, cubes are often deep-fried, which is a messier kitchen task than I am up for most nights. Luckily, you can get almost identical results by pan-frying if you follow a few smart steps:

1. Buy the right tofu. There are a few different kinds of tofu available at the grocery store and it can be a bit daunting for the uninitiated (here’s a handy guide to understanding the differences). For pan-frying you want tofu that holds its shape, so extra-firm tofu is what to buy.
2. Drain the tofu well. The water the tofu is soaked in will prevent it from crisping, so you want remove as much of it as you can. Wrapping it in paper towels and pressing it with something heavy, like a cast iron skillet, for 15 to 30 minutes will do the trick.
3. Marinate the tofu. While not necessary, tofu’s spongy quality makes it a prime candidate for marinating — it can soak up a whole lot of flavor. Here, the cubes hang out in some of the sesame-ginger sauce for just 10 minutes while you prep the other ingredients, which infuses it with flavor.
4. Toss the tofu in cornstarch. The final secret I learned right here on Kitchn: toss the tofu cubes in cornstarch. This extra layer is a major browning assist — when the cubes hit the hot oil in the pan, they’ll immediately start to crisp up. If you’re looking for a gluten-free alternative, you can use arrowroot powder.