Veggie Yakisoba

Yakisoba is a Japanese stir-fried noodle dish, similar to a Chinese chow mein. It is a great “throw in whatever veggies you have” dish which makes it wonderful for weeknights. For this version, I used eggplant, zucchini, and some beautiful rainbow carrots.

I also love this for my toddler’s lunch. To complement the yakisoba, I like to include cucumbers and mandarin oranges on the side.

 

Ingredients

1 medium sized eggplant, sliced into rounds

2 zucchinis, sliced into rounds

3 carrots, sliced into rounds

1 package of firm tofu, cut into cubes

1 package of fresh yakisoba noodles (about 17 ounces – usually in a refrigerated section next to tofu)

2 tablespoons of canola oil

1/2 cup of store bought teriyaki sauce

1 tablespoon of sesame oil

1 tablespoon of soy sauce

Optional garnishes: 1 green onion (chopped), chili oil, crushed red pepper, sesame seeds

1. To prepare the tofu, drain using a colander. Keep the tofu in the colander and place a paper towel over the tofu. Top with a pot to allow more moisture to be squeezed from the tofu. Let this occur for 15 minutes.

2. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Place the tofu on a sheet pan and bake for 15 minutes.

3. While the tofu is baking, remove the yakisoba noodles from the package and place in a bowl of hot water. This is just to loosen up the noodles. Some of the yakisoba noodles come in a package that can be microwaved for 1 minute to do the same process. If your package has that instruction, go for it!

4. Heat the canola oil in a wok or large saute pan over medium heat.

5. Add the eggplant, zucchini, and carrots and saute for 7-8 minutes.

6. Add the yakisoba noodles, teriyaki sauce, soy sauce, and sesame oil. Toss together with the vegetables and saute for another 5-6 minutes.

7. Remove the baked tofu from the oven and add to the yakisoba.

8. Serve and garnish with green onion, chili oil, crushed red pepper, sesame seeds. Note: When I serve to my toddler, I leave out the garnishes except for the sesame seeds.