Garlic Noodles with Tofu, Sugar Snap Peas

Noodles seasoned with mithbhurkaa, chili crisp like condiment from western India

After last week’s Pithla, Bhaat and Mithbhurkaa, I seized an opportunity to post a joyful recipe for an offbeat Indian-flavored meal today. It’s a fun dish of noodles, seasoned with mithbhurkaa, the chili-crisp-like, freshly made condiment with a shelf life of 10-15 days.

What are mithbhurkaa’s ingredients? Garlic, black mustard seeds, red chile powder, roasted, ground peanuts and sesame seeds. Except the mustard seeds, all are typical ingredients for noodles.

As my introductory post of ChutneyLovers declared, Chutneys like mithbhurkaa, are such concentrated flavor blasts, that they seamlessly integrate into recipes across dishes, meal types and cuisines. Case in point being Garlic Noodles with Tofu and Sugar Snap Peas made from this condiment native to the Eastern region of Maharashtra, a state in western India. Just today we topped pita pizza with a dash of mithbhurkaa! More power to eclectic cooking, friends!

RECIPE - GARLIC NOODLES WITH TOFU, SUGAR SNAP PEAS

Ingredients

• 1 cup extra firm tofu pieces, 1” x 1” x 1”

• 1 cup sugar snap peas cut into half

• 2 tablespoons soy sauce (dark, lite or regular)

• 1 tablespoon rice vinegar

• 2 handfuls or 2 servings of udon noodles boiled as per package instructions

• 2 tablespoons mithbhurkaa cooled down (recipe given below)

  Makes for 2

  Method

• Combine 1 cup tofu pieces, 2 tablespoons soy sauce, 1 tablespoon rice vinegar and 1 cup sugar snap peas in a large bowl and marinate for 30 minutes. No need of pressing the tofu to extract its moisture.

• To prevent the boiled noodles from clumping, immerse the colander with noodles in a pot filled with room temperature water such that the noodles are submerged. When you are ready for the next step in the recipe, just pull out the colander and drain the water. And if you have forgotten to do that and find the noodles sticking to each other in the colander, hold them under running room temperature water and untangle with hands lightly.

• Combine 2 tablespoons of mithbhurkaa into the marinated peas and tofu mixture and add 2 servings of boiled noodles. Mix well.

• Serve the noodles at room temperature. This is an excellent summer day meal. Here’s wishing you all warm, jacket-less days.

  

  

  Garlic Noodles with Tofu, Sugar Snap Peas

  RECIPE - Mithbhurkaa

  Ingredients

  • 1 tablespoon roasted peanuts

  • 2 tablespoons vegetable oil

  • 1/4 teaspoon black mustard seeds

  • 3 fat garlic cloves peeled, diced into 1/4" pieces

  • ¹/₂ teaspoon red chile powder

  • ¹/₂ teaspoon sesame seeds

  • 2 pinches salt

  Method

  1. Grind 1 tablespoon of store-bought roasted peanuts into a coarse powder. Since the quantity is so less, a mortar and pestle will do the job of coarse grinding. One tablespoon of roasted peanuts will result in 1.5-slightly less than 2 tablespoons of peanut powder. Set the powder aside.

  2. Heat oil in a small saucepan. Keep the heat at medium. After letting the oil heat for 2-3 minutes, add 1/4 teaspoon black mustard seeds. Once they stop sizzling, add garlic pieces.

  3. Turn the heat down from medium to low to avoid garlic from burning. Sauté the garlic pieces till they acquire a golden-brown edge. Do pay full attention at this stage to prevent garlic from burning.

  4. Add 1/2 teaspoon red chile powder, 2 pinches salt, 1 tablespoon peanut powder, and 1/2 teaspoon sesame seeds. Turn the heat off after 2 minutes. Peanut powder and sesame seeds temper the heat and give the mithbhurkaa texture and body. If you are interested in unadulterated heat, skip both.

  5. Enjoy mithbhurkaa atop white rice and pithla. Or mix it the next day with cream cheese and spread it on your bagel. Or mix a drop or two with your eggs before making scrambled egg or omelet. Or add a dash to salad dressing for your lunch. Or mix a smidgen with smushed avocado for your morning avocado toast. It stays perfect for 10-15 days at room temperature. Store it in the fridge after that in a dry glass container.

CHRONOLOGY OF STEPS TO FOLLOW

• Prepare the mithbhurkaa

• Snap the peas into two pieces and cut the tofu

• Marinate the tofu and sugar snap peas in soy sauce and rice vinegar. Put a timer for 30 minutes. You don’t have to, but why not use technology available at hand?

• Boil water in a pot for the noodles and boil the noodles according to the instructions on the package

• Drain the noodles and keep them ready

• Watch some IG videos.

• Combine mithbhurkaa and drained noodles with the marinated peas and tofu mixture once the 30 minutes timer rings.

• And it’s not the end of the world if you mix a few minutes early or late. Garlic Noodles is a forgiving yet delicious dish.

• Enjoy!

  Next week your meal will be Saucy Black Eyed Peas with Stewed Tomatoes and Spices.

  Do you have any questions for me about Indian spices? How one should start using them or incorporating them in your everyday meal? Do let me know.