We are all familiar with the 4 tastes… sweet, salty, bitter and sour. But, did you know there is a fifth taste, umami...!? It comes from the Japanese word for ‘delicious’ and is used to describe the savoury and meaty flavours. Tonight’s meal is big on umami – so go on, get stuck in and enjoy all the delicious flavour!
Always refer to the product label for the most accurate ingredient and allergen information.
/ Serving 2 people
Bring a medium saucepan of water to the boil. Slice each square of Japanese tofu into quarters. Finely grate the garlic (or use a garlic press). Finely grate the ginger. Cut the broccoli into small florets, then roughly chop the stalk. Thinly slice the red capsicum. Thinly slice the carrot (unpeeled) into half-moons. Cut the lime in half.
Add the udon noodles (see ingredients list) to the saucepan of boiling water. Cook until tender, 8-10 minutes. Drain, refresh under cold water and set aside.
While the noodles are cooking, combine the plain flour, the salt and a good pinch of pepper in a shallow bowl. In a second shallow bowl, whisk the egg. In a third shallow bowl, combine the panko breadcrumbs (see ingredients list) and black sesame seeds. Take a big handful of tofu and coat in the flour mixture, followed by the egg, and finally in the panko sesame mix. Set aside on a plate. Repeat with the remaining tofu.
Heat a good drizzle of olive oil in a large frying pan over a medium-high heat. When the oil is hot, add the crumbed tofu and fry until golden, 2 minutes each side. Transfer to a plate lined with paper towel.
Wipe out the pan with paper towel and return to a high heat with a drizzle of olive oil. Add the broccoli and carrot and cook until starting to soften, 3 minutes. Add the capsicum and cook until almost tender, 2-3 minutes. Add the garlic and ginger and cook, stirring, until fragrant, 30 seconds. Add the kecap manis, soy sauce, the water and a good squeeze of lime juice. Toss to combine, then remove from the heat. Add the udon noodles and toss to coat. Add a splash more water to loosen the sauce if needed.
Divide the udon noodle stir-fry between bowls. Top with the sesame-crumbed Japanese tofu.