Peanut Tofu Udon Noodle Stir Fry

Creamy peanut butter sauce with crispy marinated tofu over a bed of udon noodles and veggies. Topped with green onions, sesame seeds and roasted peanuts.

Overview

Like most stir fries, this recipe is easy, simple, and quick. The peanut sauce is rich and creamy and pairs nicely with the crispy tofu and starchy noodles.

For the toppings we kept it pretty simple with green onions, sesame seeds, and roasted peanuts. But there are many others that come to mind that would be fitting for this dish like some Sriracha, kimchi, or cashews to name a few.

To cook the tofu we leaned on an air fryer. If you don’t have an air fryer then baking in the oven would be a comparable alternative. Both techniques will yield crispy tofu. Combined with the creamy peanut sauce and delicious noodles results in a comforting and filling meal.

Cooking Notes

Prep work

Prepare the onion, garlic, and bell pepper by chopping, mincing, and slicing. These will be cooked at the same time. This trio will be added first, to the skillet or wok, and it will give the bell pepper added time to become soft and tender.

Slice the mushrooms and place in a small bowl. For the green onion cut the ends and place in a small dish. These will be used as a garnish. The leafy greens from the top of the onion can be roughly chopped and reserved in a separate bowl.

When you remove the tofu from the container use a paper towel to remove any excess moisture. Then slice and cube the tofu and place in a bowl. Add the tofu marinade ingredients and using a silicone spatula fold until everything is evenly coated.

The last item to prep is the peanut sauce. Add all the peanut sauce ingredients to a small bowl and mix until combined. Depending on the type of peanut butter you use it may be required to add some water to thin. At this stage the sauce can be rather thick. Once it is added to the hot pan the peanut butter will start to melt. If it is still thick at that stage then that is when I recommend to add small amounts of water to get the desired consistency.

Cooking the dish

Bring a skillet or wok up to medium heat and add a tablespoon of olive oil. Sauté the onion, garlic, and bell pepper. Use a silicone spatula to stir the ingredients frequently to help them cook evenly.

In parallel, add the marinaded tofu to an air fryer. Depending on the size of your air fryer it may be beneficial to cook the tofu in two batches. Cook the tofu at 400ºF for five minutes.

When the time elapses shake the basket, and if needed, use a silicone spatula to turn the tofu to ensure that they aren’t sticking to one another. Repeat this process until the tofu is golden brown and crispy. This process can depend on the make and model of your air fryer but ball park estimate is that the tofu should be done in 10 – 15 minutes.

Bring a pot of water up to a rolling boil and cook the udon noodles based on the package instructions. They usually only need a few minutes to loosen up. Place them in a strainer to drain when they are done.

Returning to the skillet, once the onion is translucent add the mushrooms. Cook the mushrooms until they start to brown and then add the green onion tops. Continue to cook for about five minutes to help the green onion tops start to wilt.

At this stage we can add the peanut sauce. Use a silicone spatula to gently fold the veggies into the sauce and place the lid on the pan. As discussed previously, if the sauce is still thick at this stage then add some water to thin. Natural peanut butter, for example, is more fluid and may not require added water. Use your discretion at this step but start with very small amounts of water.

Once the peanut sauce is squared away add the air fried tofu. Fold the tofu into the mixture and cook for a few minutes to bring up to temperature. At this point you can also start to reduce the heat.

When the noodles are done and drained they can now be added to the skillet. Stir the mixture to coat the noodles evenly with the sauce and veggies. To serve place the stir fry in a serving bowl and top with green onions, sesame seeds, and peanuts.

Substitutions and Variations

Tofu – in place of tofu you might try sautéing tofu knots or tempeh.

Veggies – the beautiful thing about stir fry is that you can use any veggies that are on hand. With each stir fry being a little unique from the next. Feel free to experiment.

Toppings – some toppings I tend to reach for this style of dish is kimchi, cashews, sriracha, or hemp hearts to name a few. But seaweed flakes or sheets, soy sauce, or more sweet chili sauce might be a nice addition.

Storage

Place any leftovers in your storage container of choice. Reserve the green onion garnish in a separate container. These should keep nicely in the refrigerator for several days before the freshness starts to taper off.

If you like this recipe be sure to check out our other recipes below:

• Coconut Curry Tofu Knots
• Peanut Curry with Tofu and Veggies
• Sticky Orange Tofu Knots with Veggies
• Sesame Garlic Tofu and Turmeric Jasmine Rice