Cold Noodles With Tofu Cream

Refreshing, dairy-free, and ready to party with your favorite summer vegetables

Hello and welcome to your Thursday recipe drop!

Big thank you to the lactose-intolerant girlies for really coming out of the woodwork this week in the comments, both here and on IG. (As a reminder, starting today only paid subscribers will be able to access the comments.) I have so many new things to try, from actually-good vegan cheeses to Lactojoy to a ~*professionals only*~ plant butter that is supposed to be amazing but not yet available for retail purchase (though here’s hoping). I feel more optimistic than ever about entering this new-to-me world.

For those of you who are blessed with all the lactose-digesting enzymes, I should note that I will still continue to offer plenty of recipes that call for dairy, with dairy-free alternatives wherever possible. I may be lactose-intolerant but I will never give up butter.

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But for today, we’re going vegan with some extremely tasty cold noodles dressed in a silky blender tofu cream. They’re inspired by one of my top five summer foods, Korean kongguksu: cold chewy noodles swimming in rich, creamy, salty, extra-cold soy milk and topped with slivered cucumbers and roasted sesame seeds. When I was a kid, a few times each summer my grandma would bring over a large vat of chilled homemade soy milk made from soybeans she had soaked, cooked, and blended herself (not unlike the way you’d turn almonds or cashews into milk). We would cook a large pot of noodles and drown them in the thick beige milk, sometimes floating some ice cubes in our bowls when it was especially sweltering.

The time-intensive nature of homemade soy milk is what makes kongguksu so special, and I highly recommend trying it if you can. But for when you need a quick lunch or dinner, this sauce made with store bought silken tofu makes a very worthy substitute. It makes sense: soy beans are soy beans are soy beans, soy milk becomes tofu, blending tofu turns it back into soy milk. (Is your mind blown yet?) I call for a handful of soaked cashews and a stream of good olive oil blended into the tofu cream to add some luscious body and flavor. But be mindful that this is meant to be a very light-tasting dish. The subtle, pure sweetness of the tofu is the star, accentuated by a healthy amount of salt that makes it sing.

I like to top my bowl with a ton of julienned cucumbers, sometimes some cherry tomatoes, and always, always some toasted sesame seeds that have been crushed to release their aroma and flavor (it makes a big difference). You could top yours with radishes, slivered snap peas, blanched and sliced runner beans, charred corn, chopped kimchi, a boiled egg—you get the idea. It’s all good on here.

See you all next week!

—Chaey

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Cold Noodles with Tofu Cream
Serves 2 for a nice little lunch

Ingredients
8 oz. somyeon, thin udon, or other wheat noodles
½ cup raw cashews, soaked for 8 hours or overnight
8 oz. silken tofu
3 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
1 garlic clove, finely grated
¾ tsp. Diamond Crystal or ¼ tsp. Morton kosher salt, plus more
1 Tbsp. toasted sesame seeds
Julienned cucumbers and quartered cherry tomatoes, for serving

Preparation

1. Bring a medium saucepan of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook noodles according to package directions. Drain and rinse under cool running water, making sure to shake off excess water very well. Transfer noodles to a large bowl.

2. Drain cashews and transfer to a blender or food processor along with tofu. (If you forgot to soak your cashews, don’t fear: Simply place them in a small bowl, cover with boiling water, and let them sit for an hour. Drain and proceed.) Blend on high until completely smooth and silky. If the mixture is too thick to blend, add just enough water by the tablespoonful to get things moving. (Using a blender tamper also helps move things along.) With the motor running, slowly stream in olive oil; add garlic and ¾ tsp. salt. Taste and season with more salt if desired.

3. Transfer about half of the tofu cream to bowl with noodles (you should have a little under 2 cups of cream). Use tongs to evenly coat noodles in sauce; taste and season with more salt if desired.

4. Divide noodles between two shallow bowls and top each bowl with some cucumbers and tomatoes.

5. Combine sesame seeds and a pinch of salt in a mortar and pestle and crush to crack open seeds and release their heady aroma. Top each bowl with some sesame salt and serve.