Goddess Udon Stirfry (for one)

Okay, the photo doesn't show all the goodies on the bottom of the dish! Close your eyes and visualize baked tofu, zucchini and wood ear mushrooms...there! Now the picture is complete!
It is very important not to do two things: reheat the cooked broccolini (it will get swampy and make your tummy wish it would pass through your bowels) or cook the miso (it will destroy all the nutritional benefits that make it a wonder-food)

This dish came together in a frenzy of various ingredients threatening to go rotten in the depths of my fridge. Hallelujah for inspiration!




Ingredients:
1 pkg. Japanese udon noodles (duh!)
5 dried wood ear mushrooms
1 small zucchini, half-mooned
1 handful snap peas, ends trimmed
1 scallion, chopped finely
1 small carrot, shredded
1/2 c. broccolini florets
1/4 pkg. baked tofu (any flavour you fancy), cubed or in strips
1 T. garlic, minced
1 T. ginger, minced
1 T. rice vinegar or sake
1 T. brown rice miso
1 T. tamari
1 t. peanut or other cooking oil

In a bowl of warm water, soak the dried mushrooms for about 20-30 minutes to soften. Reserve the liquid and combine with carrot and broccolini in a wok or deep frying pan. Steam till tender-crisp. Drain liquid and set aside cooked veggies. In the wok, heat the oil and fry the tofu till lightly crispy on each side, about 10 minutes. Meanwhile, boil water and immerse the noodles in it, allowing them to slightly soften for about 3-5 minutes. Chop the mushrooms and add to wok along with cooked veggies and zucchini with the rice vinegar, garlic and ginger. Add noodles, scallion and tamari and stir fry till coated. Remove from heat and stir in the miso. Garnish with pickled ginger (if you like that kind of thing) or nuts or any other Asian flaired sprigs you prefer.