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Spicy Udon Noodles with Peppercorns, Mushrooms + Chinese Broccoli

by:
May 19, 2014
3
2 Ratings
  • Serves 4
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Ingredients
  • 1/4 cup vegetable oil
  • 1 pound firm tofu, pressed of excess liquid and cut into 2-inch cubes
  • 1 pound Chinese broccoli or broccolini
  • 4 garlic cloves, chopped
  • 2 tablespoons Szechuan peppercorns
  • 5 ounces mushrooms, such as beech
  • 1 tablespoon chili-garlic sauce
  • 8 ounces fresh or dried udon noodles
Directions
  1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Meanwhile, heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high. Add tofu and brown on all sides, 5 to 8 minutes. Transfer tofu to a paper towel-lined plate as they become browned. Reserve skillet and oil.
  2. Add broccoli to pot of boiling water and cook until bright green and crisp-tender, 30 seconds to 1 minute. Use a slotted spoon to transfer Chinese broccoli to a bowl to set aside; reserve boiling water.
  3. Place reserved skillet over medium-high heat. Add garlic and peppercorns and cook 1 minute or until they begin to toast. Add mushrooms and cook, stirring occasionally, until they begin to brown, 2 minutes. Add blanched broccoli and cook, stirring, until beginning to brown, 5 minutes. While broccoli cooks, drop noodles into reserved boiling water and cook according to package directions (about 2 to 3 minutes for fresh). Drain noodles and add to skillet with vegetables; stir in chili-garlic sauce before serving.
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Before her diagnosis, Caroline wrote a book on cakes called Cake Magic!. She started developing a birthday cake using her gluten-free mix found in that book. Check out other recipes she’s developing for her new life—and the stories behind them—on her blog, The Wright Recipes. Her next book, Soup Club, is a collection of recipes she made for her underground soup club of vegan and grain-free soups she delivers every week to friends throughout Seattle's rainy winter.

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11 Reviews

Write a Review
Paul U. December 13, 2020
Completely inedible. That amount of peppercorns ruined the dish.
Judith P. March 3, 2017
Oh, I thought it was me. This recipe idea sounded so up-our-alley. But, as expressed by other Food52 patrons, the texture of the whole peppercorns was not happening, and the dish was surprisingly lackluster. In place of tofu, I sautéed some chopped up chicken tenderloins that I then drizzled with soy sauce and and toasted sesame oil. My husband and I were both wondering wha' happened--mystified that, as another writer indicated, a dish loaded with Szechuan peppercorns was not sparky. I, too, did not have Szechuan savvy; in retrospect, probably toasting them dry and then grinding would be better. Dust and toss the results with the ground pepper?
Ling L. October 6, 2015
What kind of "chilli-garlic" sauce was used?
But it sounds like a good idea.
Ling L. October 6, 2015
Oh no... I would add some soy sauce/ponzu sauce because there's no salt in the recipe! The udon will absorb the sauce (usually they are eaten with a broth)
Skiingstella July 28, 2015
The photos of this look much better than the resulting meal. It was bland and boring to us. I wish i had read the reviews before searching high and low for the right ingredients to do this.
Ling L. October 6, 2015
Oh no... I would add some soy sauce/ponzu sauce because there's no salt in the recipe! The udon will absorb the sauce (usually they are eaten with a broth)
Janice L. March 23, 2015
Sorry, I meant *bite*.
Yikes ;)
Janice L. March 23, 2015
I think you have to crush the peppercorns because if you bight into a whole szechuan peppercorn, you probably won't be able to taste anything afterward because it numbs the mouth.
Grackle August 29, 2014
Are the peppercorns supposed to be toasted and ground, or whole? If I had taken the picture accompanying the article, you would see peppercorns everywhere! I loved the flavor, but I didn't like their texture, and it seemed like there were so many of them. This was my first time using Szechuan peppercorns, so perhaps I was supposed to know better.
Caitlan S. June 3, 2014
For something requiring two tablespoons of szechaun peppercorns, it tastes like nothing. This is a disappointing recipe - we cook Asian frequently and do not recommend.
Gaia G. May 21, 2014
This looks delicious! Asian cuisine is in my top 3 favorites especially the soups. Tom Kha is hands down my absolute favorite. I'm actually going to make an Asian inspired soup tomorrow. I'll be using shrimp, spinach, basil, seaweed, white button mushrooms and now some tofu and Udon noodles after seeing your recipe. Thanks for the inspiration! Great post!