Back in the days when I was able to get Vietnamese takeout on a semi-regular basis, tofu chow fun was my dish. Not that I’m not always up for a bowl of veggie pho, but meatless chow fun seems a bit easier to come by, so it became my go-to meal. Most people reading this probably know chow fun from Chinese dining. I’ve never actually had the Chinese version of the dish, but I think the main difference is the cilantro. So if you want something with more of a Chinese feel, skip the cilantro, but I’m warning you now that the cilantro is a delicious addition, so you probably don’t want to do that. So, about this dish! Even though it was a favorite, it took me forever to create my own version. For one thing, I looked into it a while back and discovered that most recipes call for waaaaay more oil than I was willing to cook with. No wonder it was so good. The other thing is the noodles. The tofu chow fun I used to order was made with big fat noodles. Like, the widest noodles I’ve ever seen. I can’t seem to find them anywhere, and I’m a frequent Asian market shopper. Finally, I gave in and decided to take a crack at the dish (1) with what I consider to be a reasonable amount of oil. Stir-frying in a few tablespoons of oil is plenty for me, thank you very much. And (2) with wide but not that wide noodles. I took my first bite and wouldn’t you know it, I was taken right back to my favorite Vietnamese restaurant. Success!
