It’s an annual tradition, spending time with someone I share my birth date with, my friend Aidan who turned nine this year! The last few years we’ve gone bowling, which we both love {In fact his mom told me for my gift this year he wanted to get me a bowling ball. She had to remind him I already had one. Hope she didn’t tell him the brand is called “widowmaker”.} but this year he wanted to go to dim sum brunch. So off we went to Monsoon East in Bellevue. If you have not been there for weekend brunch, you must go. It took forever for me to decide what to get because it all sounded so good. We shared shrimp dumplings, which were probably the best I’ve ever had, steam bbq pork buns and for my entree had the oxtail broth beef phó. Yum! The broth, which my other friend Chris Nishiwaki correctly states is the key to great phó, was so dark and rich if they had put it in a coffee mug just by itself I would have drank it and been in heaven. My girlfriend Tracey had tofu rice bowl. It looked so great and considering there was nothing left in her bowl at the end of our lunch, I can only guess it was as good as it looked. It inspired me to make this for dinner. We had it over soba noodles because I had some that needed to be used up but rice would be fab. You can skip the egg if you wish but it really adds something wonderful to the sauce and dish when you cut into the yolk.

Miso Tofu Noodle Bowl
serves 4

2 tbsp. red miso
2/3 cup hot water
3 tbsp. sesame oil
¼ cup light soy sauce
2 tbsp. apple cider vinegar
1 clove of garlic, minced
1 tsp. freshly grated ginger
¼ tsp. crushed red peppers flakes
2 tbsp. cilantro, finely chopped
2 tbsp. peanut oil {or canola oil}
1 – 12 oz pkg. extra firm tofu, patted dry and cut into 2″ squares
½ lb. shitake mushrooms, sliced ½” thick
1 red bell pepper, seeded and sliced
5 baby bok choy, cut into 2″ pieces
1 – 8 oz. package buckwheat soba noodles 
4 eggs 
Kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper 

In a small bowl, dissolve miso in the hot water. Add next seven ingredients {soy sauce to cilantro}; whisk and set aside. 

Bring a pot of water to a boil. While waiting for the water to come up, in a large non-stick wok heat 2 tbsp. of the peanut oil over medium high heat and sear tofu, about 1 minute per side. Remove tofu from pan to a plate lined with paper towel to absorb the extra oil. Add shitakes to the wok and sauté for 3 minutes. Add red bell peppers and bok choy; cooking for 2 minutes. Return tofu back to the wok and add miso mixture. Cook for 2 minutes or until sauce just starts to thicken. Turn heat off and cover to keep warm. 

Cook soba noodles according to package directions. While noodles are cooking, in a small non-stick skillet, heat remaining 1 tbsp. oil and fry the eggs over easy; salt and pepper to taste. Drain noodles and divide among four bowls. Top with tofu vegetable sauté, sauce and 1 egg per bowl.