Tofu Chow Mein

Dinners during the summer months are much lighter affairs than during the colder seasons. We almost eliminate meat entirely in the summer, preferring fresh vegetable dishes instead. Of course Waitrose always have suggestions and this recipe that I found in their magazine last August, was a favourite last summer and is just as popular this year.

INGREDIENTS

2 tsp groundnut oil
½ x 280g pack Extra Firm Tofu, cut into pieces
1 bunch salad onions, whites and greens separated, both finely sliced
80g sugar snap peas, shredded
1 carrot, cut into fine strips
100g shiitake mushrooms, sliced
¼ head Chinese Leaf (or 1 pak choi, stems and leaves separated), shredded
1½ tbsp dark soy sauce
1½ tbsp light soy sauce
1 tbsp hoisin sauce
1 tbsp Chinese rice vinegar
275g pack fresh lentil noodles

TIP FROM LADY A

I have said this before, but it is never truer than when stir-frying – prepare all your vegetables in advance. You won’t have time to once you start the fry-up!

METHOD

Put a wok over a high heat and add the oil to the pan. When hot, stir-fry the tofu for six minutes until golden, then transfer to a plate.

Add the salad onion whites to the pan with the sugar snap peas, carrot, mushrooms and pak choi stems; stir-fry for two minutes until slightly wilted but still crunchy.

Add the pak choi leaves, soy sauces, hoisin sauce and rice vinegar to the vegetables along with the noodles. Stir-fry for three minutes.

Then return the tofu to the pan and cook for two minutes until everything is piping hot. Divide between serving bowls and top with the salad onion greens.

I would stake a claim that this is the best summer supper recipe from Waitrose. Quick (if you do your vegetable preparation earlier), vegetarian and very tasty. This is exactly what we want to eat during the summer.