One of my favourite vegan dinners is an Oriental-style stir-fry. Not only do they taste awesome and are very satisfying, but they are very quick and easy and relatively healthy (if you don’t use too much oil). Here is one I created recently, and I think this has become my favourite variation. A stir-fry can be made with a whole range of ingredients, but I particularly enjoy the ones made with noodles and tofu, besides various vegetables. I use both tofu and chestnut mushrooms in this dish, which are both great for replacing meat, for a satisfying meal. As I am sure you all know, tofu is brilliant as a meat substitute in many dishes, owing to its texture and high protein content, and it lends itself particularly well to frying. For this recipe I used smoked tofu, which is awesome, but you could also use the marinaded or just the plain kind. I also use pre-cooked ready-to-fry noodles, which are very quick and easy.

Ingredients (Serves 2)

1 large yellow pepper, sliced into slivers

Around 3 oz of smoked or marinaded tofu, cubed

Large handful of fresh spinach

1-2 cloves of garlic, minced

Handful of chestnut mushrooms, sliced

3 oz of pre-cooked straight-to-wok noodles

Half of an onion, diced (you can use either a red or white onion)

1 small red chilli, finely chopped

1 small piece of fresh root ginger, finely chopped (or 1 teaspoon of ginger paste from a jar)

1-2 tablespoons of light soy sauce

1-2 tablespoons of sesame or light vegetable oil, for frying

Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

Method

1) Heat the cooking oil in a wok or large frying pan and add the onion, cooking gently for a minute or two until softened. Then add the garlic, chilli and ginger, and continue cooking over a moderate heat for a couple more minutes.

2) Next add the mushrooms, yellow pepper and tofu, turn up the heat slightly and fry for another couple of minutes until the mushrooms and tofu are slightly browned and crisp.

3) Add the spinach, and stir for a minute until just wilted, and then add the noodles, and stir for about 2-3 more minutes until heated through.

4) Season with salt and pepper and lastly add the soy sauce, stirring in well, and fry for another minute or two until all the ingredients are well mixed in and it is sizzling.

5) Serve immediately and enjoy!

I hope you liked this recipe and your votes and comments are much appreciated.