As promised

Here it is...the stirfry. I've noticed that stirfry isn't the most photogenic food on earth, especially when made with buckwheat soba noodles which are a murky beige/brown to begin with.

I must admit that I'm FAIRLY sure they were buckwheat...they looked and tasted that way, but unless I learn chinese STAT, I won't be able to read the ingredients on the second package either when I use those. I love shopping at the Asian Market, but sometimes the packaging can be a bit confusing.

The first (and most essential step) of this recipe, is squeezing the water out of the tofu. I wrapped it in paper towel, and then left the block under a cast iron skillet for about half an hour. Once done soaking, I started with some tofu geometry, cutting the entire block of "extra firm" into triangles and then tossing it in a miso glaze.

The glaze was made up of: white miso, mirin, sugar, soy sauce, garlic, powdered ginger, and lime juice. I then put all the tofu in a skillet, lying flat, and poured the remaining glaze on top. I let that cook for about 7 minutes, pressing down with a spatula, then flipped. After removing the tofu, I deglazed the pan with some mirin, then tossed in carrots, broccoli, onion, mushrooms and mung beans. I add tandoori masala to this mixture, and once done, poured everything over the soba noodles with a generous squirt of red chili oil.

I wasn't a huge fan of the noodles...I think the buckwheat flavor was a little strong. I'd also assumed the leftover glaze from the tofu would incorporate enough salt into the dish, but in the end an extra squirt of soy sauce or braggs (depending on taste preference) was added to each bowl.

The tofu was however the shining star of the dish. It was VERY yummy, and cooked just right. I would definitely use the glaze again, although making it a little different each time is the most exciting part of cooking...

Selah.