Anyone who knows how to cook real Chinese food at home won’t be impressed by this one, but for an amateur like me I think it’s pretty tasty. You can use any kind of noodles. We used to use those very thin Chinese noodles, but found they tended to clump up, so we switched to wide egg noodles.

CHINESE NOODLES AND BROCCOLI

6 ounces noodles, dry
1 bunch broccoli
1 tablespoon roasted sesame oil (amber, not clear)
2 tablespoons olive oil
Thumb-size piece of fresh ginger
4 cloves garlic
4 ounces extra-firm tofu, cubed
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)
SAUCE:
7 tablespoons light soy sauce
5 tablespoons rice vinegar
2 tablespoons light brown sugar
1 tablespoon corn starch

Cube tofu if it isn’t already and drain on a few paper towels. (If you don’t like tofu, you can leave it out, but it does add protein. It neither adds to nor takes away any flavor, though.)

Boil water for the pasta and cook per package instructions.

While water is boiling, cut broccoli florets into bite-size pieces and place in steamer. Steam until just starting to soften, not mushy, should retain a little firmness. Test with fork.

Peel ginger and slice into 1/2 inch thick pieces. If you’d like more ginger flavor, you can also grate some. Mince garlic. Combine sauce ingredients in a small bowl.

In a wok or large frying pan, heat both oils and stir in garlic and ginger for about a minute. Add tofu, continue stirring. As soon as the broccoli is ready, add it and continue stirring. Add sauce, allow to heat until bubbling, then mix well.

Drain noodles and divide on two plates. Divide mixture and sauce evenly over the two. Serves two, of course! This usually makes a complete meal for us, though you could add a side salad.