Mo' Better Drunken Noodles

We had leftover duck, a block of frozen tofu, and an urge to eat something that would drive away the cloudy blues. This mod of a Thai recipe (somewhere between Drunken Noodles and Pad See Ew) took advantage of what we had as fridge leftovers and the produce that our local grocery would stock that wasn't wilted nasty.

We liked it - the fried tofu is awesome - the girls liked it. And it only took 25 minutes.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 lb of extra firm or firm tofu, frozen and thawed, drained
• 2 cloves of garlic, chopped
• 1 inch of ginger, peeled and minced
• 1 hot Thai pepper or 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper
• 6 scallions, chopped
• 8 ounces of cooked chicken, duck breast, pork or beef, sliced
• 1 lb of bok choy or napa cabbage, sliced thinly
• 2 carrots, cut thickly on the bias
• 1/2 cup of cilantro, chopped
• 1/2 cup of basil leaves, chopped
• Lime juice to taste

STIR-FRY SAUCE:

• 2 Tbsp. soy sauce
• 1 Tbsp. rice vinegar
• 1 Tbsp. fish sauce or substitute 2 Tbsp. oyster sauce
• 2 Tbsp. lime juice
• 1 Tbsp. brown sugar
• 1 tsp. Thai chili sauce OR 1/2 tsp crushed dried red chilies

Steps:

1. Cook 8 ounces of noodles (wide rice or wide egg noodles) until al dente - cool off with cold running water and set aside.
2. Mix the sauce ingredients together in a small bowl. Taste for balance - it should be sweet, sour, spicy and hot simultaneously.
3. Fry the tofu in 1/2 inch of canola or peanut oil until crusty and golden. Drain on towels and set aside.
4. Set up a wok with 3 TBSP of oil and stir fry the garlic, ginger, and red pepper. Let it fry for 1 minute.
5. Add the bok choy (or cabbage), meat, and carrots. Stir fry for 3 minutes.
6. Add the sauce to the wok and stir for 1 more minute.
7. Remove from wok and add to a bowl with noodles. Add cilantro and basil.
8. Toss to coat evenly. Taste test and add more hot pepper flakes if you are brave!