Musical pairing – Just A Kiss by Lady Antebellum
When Debra and I first met, we spent a lot of time together; we immediately found common interests in music, travel, movies and food. And having lived here all my life, I played tour guide and showed Debra parts of Indiana that she would have never seen . . . because she is directionally-challenged . . . a fact she completely owns up to and will tell you that any way she is facing is North . . . case and point? For nearly 6 months she traveled one single straight stretch of highway to and from work and the same road to and from the grocery store . . . that was about it – no exploring, no sight-seeing, no wandering Indiana . . . for fear she would get lost never to be found again . . .
It’s also been mentioned that we never called these excursions “dates” because of the expectation and formality that came with the word; we just enjoyed sharing each other’s company and were both at a time in our lives when the independence felt nice.
As fate would have it, a series of events unfolded over time that made our “sharing” a bit more serious, and the infamous Valentine’s Day came around; by now we had even said the “L-word” and shared our first kiss. One night I made Debra my favorite vegetarian stir-fry at her apartment; I was a strict vegetarian at the time (she, a meat-eater). I can’t recall exactly what conversation ensued after dinner but it ended in another kiss . . . maybe there is a magical moment when two people’s trust for each other line up perfectly and their souls touch for the first time, I’m not quite sure . . . but somehow this kiss was different. Debra broke down and sobbed uncontrollably, and at first I thought I had done something wrong. But in that instant, I think we both knew life would never be the same; we were married less than two weeks later.
Those memories come flooding back whenever I make stir-fry; this particular version was inspired after we went to a great Thai restaurant in Indianapolis called Siam Square. I must say that this dish rivals that of their famous Drunken Noodles – and when you look at the reviews people leave on Yelp, Drunken Noodles is the dish most often mentioned as a fan favorite. The sake is a rice-based fermented beer-like beverage (dry white wine could be substituted as well) and really makes a difference. And, baking the tofu gives it a great texture and flavor for the tofu-hesitant out there.
We hope you enjoy this dish – obviously, it’s one of our favorites!
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THE PROFESSOR’S DRUNKEN NOODLES
Inspired by Moosewood Classics
INGREDIENTS:
- ¼ cup soy sauce
- 2 teaspoons sugar
- 2 teaspoons dark sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- ½ pound soba noodles
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 2 large garlic cloves, minced
- ¼ teaspoon red chili flakes
- 3 cups baby bok choy, chopped
- 1 16 ounce, packaged extra-firm tofu, cubed, baked and set aside (recipe follows)
- ¼ cup water
- ½ cup sake
- 1 carrot, peeled and julienned
METHOD:
- In a large covered pot, bring 3 quarts of water to a boil.
- Meanwhile, whisk together the soy sauce, sugar, sesame oil, cornstarch and the lemon juice until smooth and then set aside.
- When the water boils, add the soba noodles and cook for 8-10 minutes, until al dente.
- While the noodles cook, warm the oil in a wok or heavy skillet on medium heat.
- Add the garlic and cayenne and cook, stirring constantly, just until the garlic turns golden, a minute or less.
- Stir in the bok choy, water and sake.
- Cover and cook for 3-4 minutes, until bok choy is tender, yet still has a bit of crunch.
- Stir in the julienned carrots, the baked tofu cubes and the reserved soy mixture
- Cook for a minute or two until the liquid thickens, then reduce the heat to low
- When the noodles are done, drain, rinse them with warm water and drain again.
- Add the cooked soba noodles to the vegetables and stir until they are coated with the sauce.
- Place on a platter and serve immediately.
BAKED TOFU CUBES
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees
- If you can’t purchase pre-cubed extra firm tofu, simply cut the tofu into about half- or 1-inch cubes, toss with olive oil, salt and pepper to coat.
- Place cubes onto a sheet pan lined with parchment (or foil) and bake for 20 minutes turning cubes at about the 10-minute mark. Cubes should be golden brown.
What a lovely story!
I made this yesterday, doubled the recipe. The flavor was great, but unfortunately the red pepper was way too intense for me. It got good reviews from the people I made it for, though! Will make again, though next time I’ll mellow out on the spice.
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I can really get on board with this dish-it’s right up my alley! thank you for sharing. The recipe, and the love story.
Aw. Mate. I nearly cried.
Thank you for sharing this. It almost makes me wish I were a vegetarian, err I mean lesbian. HA GREG PS I can make that silly joke ‘cuz I AM gay. But you know, the male version… HA!
I always, ALWAYS, enjoy reading about your “story.” This one’s almost as good as “The Professor asked me to marry him, and 10 days later, we were!”
Also, I had very little dinner tonight, so these Drunken Noodles, viewed on my big monitor… are literally making me salivate.
Cheers!
[K]
Very sweet post and love the recipe!
Such a beautiful story. Brought tears to my eyes as well…
And by the way Deb is right…every direction I face is North as well. Makes perfect sense to me! 🙂
Aww, i love this!
What a wonderful memory attached to this dish! Thank you for sharing this story and the recipe that got you the girl!
Great story and great stirfy. Love knowing the details of your encounters and time spent together. And this meal lead to a crossroads where everything came flooding out. Congratulations on your happiness! Love the love.
I love this! You two were SO meant for each other. I’ve heard of couples having their song, but this is even better – a lover’s meal!
Um, sweetest post ever. ♥
So of course this pasta looks delicious. I want to make it for Ryan tomorrow. But what i loved more was hearing about your sweet love. Thank you for sharing this lovely recipe and a bit of your shared past. It made me smile. I’ve missed you guys!
This is one of my sisters favorites. I can’t wait to make it for her.
You made me both blubber and drool. In short, I’m looking very attractive right now. Beautiful love story and beautiful dish. Thank you!
This is such a beautiful post. Thank you for sharing the story about your courtship and the moment that “you knew”. I can see why these noodles would inspire proclamations of love!
Sweet Story, and delicious looking noodles 🙂
What a wonderful story. You gave me chills, prof! I’m not usually a tofu eater.. but for you guys? I’d try it.
Thanks for sharing with us! Love the noodles!
ah Rod, just a romantic as ever!!
Always love reading your stories! So sweet 🙂
This dish looks fantastic, too… Love the way it brings back so many memories for you. Those are the best dishes, if you ask me!
What a beautiful and beautifully told story and you are the same kind of romantic that my husband is, so I can understand completely. Maybe men like you are just attracted to directioanally-challenged women like both Debra and me? Maybe. But I think I would have burst into tears of joy if someone had cooked me this fabulous dish. Truly a must-try!
What a sweet story! And I love drunken noodles, so I can’t wait to give your recipe a try!
Awww Professor you are such a good story teller. This is really very touching!! Debra, no worries, I am directionally challenged too! 🙂
Professor, this was a helluva story! Why didn’t it surprise me that Debra cried? I almost let a tear or two:)
I am always happy when I encounter a beautiful love story. Keep loving each other – there is not enough love in this world:)
Nothing can bring forth memories as good as food, and these noodles look great, even though they are meatless:)
What a lovely post… and a touching description of your courtship (is that too formal ;-)). And I adore the fact that such a simple dish could evoke such memories. Beautiful.
I’m just about ready to bawl right now. What a precious story!!
This is the sweetest story!!!!!!!!!!! =) =) And it all started with…. may you have many, many, MANY more opportunities to share this dish!