My crew dislikes shrimp. When we made the tea-smoked salmon this weekend, I marinated and smoked a few slabs of firm tofu, then stuck it in the 'fridge. Today I made the coconut noodle soup, refreshed the tofu with a quick saute in hot oil, and used it in place of the shrimp. I garnished with scallions and lemon basil-- delicious and a very quick meal on a weeknight. The tofu picked up the smoky flavor and the savory marinade extremely well. The soup is wonderful, with the toothsome noodles, soft and smoky tofu, and spicy, rich broth. I used dried udon for the noodles-- thanks to the "Use Your Noodle" article, I find them more flavorful than rice noodles and more convenient than fresh/frozen udon.
I also served the smoked tofu over a cool bed of soba noodles, garnished with hard-boiled eggs and a little seasoned soy sauce-- the perfect meal for a hot day. This could be quite the versatile ingredient-- if there were any left over, I would make summer rolls.
