Tofu Lo Mein Spaghetti

• Prep Time:  10 minutes
• Cook Time: 20 minutes
• Total Time:  30 minutes
• Course: Main Course
• Cuisine: Chinese
• Servings: 4 people

Sauce Ingredients:

• 6 tsp arrowroot powder/starch
• 5 Tbsp tamari
• 2 Tbsp rice wine vinegar
• 2 Tbsp Chinese cooking wine
• 1 ½ tsp coconut sugar
• 2 tsp toasted sesame oil
• ½ tsp onion powder
• ¼ tsp black pepper, ground

Lo Mien Ingredients:

• 1 Package Chickapea Spaghetti
• 2 Tbsp table salt (for boiling pasta)
• ¼ cup starch water, reserved from cooking the pasta
• 2 Tbsp avocado oil
• 250-350g firm tofu, sliced
• 2 tsp dehydrated garlic
• 2 tsp onion powder
• 3 Tbsp fresh garlic, minced
• 2 Tbsp fresh ginger minced
• 1 yellow/white onion, diced
• 2 cups broccoli florets
• 2 carrots, cut into ribbons
• 1 red bell pepper, chopped
• 1/3 green onion, diced
• 2 Tbsp white sesame seeds

Sauce Instructions:

1. In a medium sized bowl whisk together the arrowroot starch, tamari, rice wine vinegar and Chinese cooking wine
2. Add in all other sauce ingredients and mix well to combine
3. Set the sauce aside until ready to use

Lo Mien Instructions:

1. Slice the firm tofu into domino sized pieces and place in a shallow bowl
2. Cover the tofu with dehydrated garlic and onion powder, tossing gently to cover evenly
3. Spoon 3-4 Tbsp of the sauce over the tofu 
4. Allow the tofu to sit in the marinade while preparing the vegetables
5. Add the avocado oil to a large wok and warm over medium heat
6. When the oil is hot, add the diced onion, minced garlic, and ginger to the wok
7. Cook the mixture for 1 minute, stirring frequently
8. Add the marinated tofu and cook for 2-3 minutes a side until beginning to brown
9. Add the vegetables to the wok and cook for 3-4 minutes stirring often
10. Meanwhile, prepare Chickapea Spaghetti to package specifications (heat 16 cups of water and 2 Tbsp of salt in a large pot over high heat until boiling. Add the pasta to the water, decrease the heat to maintain a gentle boil. Stir and cook the pasta for 5 minutes)
11. Reserve ¼ cup of the starch water from cooking the pasta
12. Dain the pasta and rinse with warm water
13. Transfer the pasta to the wok 
14. Add the remaining sauce and ¼ cup of starch water to the wok
15. Using wooden utensils, lift the pasta gently, repeatedly to toss it in the sauce
16. The sauce will thicken and become sticky as it heats up
17. When the sauce has thickened and coats the vegetable and noodles, remove the wok from the heat and plate each potion of Lo Mien
18. Garnish each serving with 1/3 cup of green onion and a sprinkle of sesame seeds
19. Enjoy!

Recipe Notes:

• The recipe makes a moderate amount of sauce, to make more double all sauce ingredients. To make less sauce half all ingredients
• Arrowroot powder can be substituted with cornstarch 1-1 but the flavor of the sauce will change slightly as arrowroot powder has a more neutral flavor
• Chinese cooking wine, also known as Shaoxing wine, can be substituted 1-1 for dry cooking sherry with a moderate flavor change to the recipe
• Coconut sugar can be substituted 1-1 for white sugar with no distinguishable taste difference
• Toasted sesame oil has become the default sesame oil available in chain supermarkets. If you are in doubt about it being toasted, look for a sesame oil that is deep brown. When opened it should have in intense, rich aroma and flavor
• Toasted sesame oil can not be substituted for plain or raw pressed sesame oil as it has almost no flavor or scent