Sesame Crusted Tofu and Peanut Soba Noodles

Recipe from

http://www.anediblemosaic.com/?p=7977

1 (14 oz) block of extra-firm tofu
2 Tbsp oil
2 teaspoons rice vinegar
4 teaspoons soy sauce
2 large cloves garlic, grated 1/8 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 cup  flour
2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds
To drain the tofu, put it on a paper towel-lined plate; cover it with another paper towel, and then a tray.  Weigh the tray down with a heavy object (such as a large can of tomatoes or beans) and let it drain for 30 minutes.
To make the marinade, whisk together 1 tablespoon of oil, vinegar, soy sauce, garlic, and black pepper in a medium bowl.  Cut the tofu in half so you have 2 blocks, then slice each block cross-wise into 6 equal slabs; put the sliced tofu in the marinade and let it sit in the fridge for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Combine the flour and sesame seeds in a shallow dish; dredge both sides of each tofu piece in this mixture.  Heat the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat; add the tofu and fry until golden on both sides, about 3 minutes per side.

This recipe had some extra steps in preparing the tofu, but the effort payed off in the end.

Here is the tofu marinating

Sorry for the horrible picture. This is the flour and sesame seed mixture.

Tofu frying in the pan.

Browned to perfection.

The tofu was pretty good.  I would say one of the better tofu recipes I have attempted.  Draining the tofu and marinating it definitely affected the flavor and texture of the tofu.  The breading got soft on the leftovers I ate the next day, but it still tasted OK.

For the peanut soba noodles I decided to use some frozen burdock root and carrot matchsticks that I had on hand.  I threw the frozen veggies in a frying pan with some soy sauce and mirin to simmer.

For the peanut sauce I used a combination of two recipes I found online

http://www.food.com/recipe/cold-peanut-soba-noodles-84038#ixzz1nTBbyC8a

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/claire-robinson/chilled-peanut-soba-noodles-recipe/index.html

For the sauce I used approximately
1/4 c peanut butter
1/4 c rice vinegar
2 Tbps soy sauce
3 tsp Sriracha
1 Tbsp honey
2 Tbsp water

I cooked the noodles then added in the sauce and veggies.