I enjoy eating poke bowl and come up with different ingredients to add variety. I prepared a healthy meal this weekend along the lines of poke bowl – soba noodles with spicy vegetables, tofu and tempe. Turned out really good and of course, nutritious.

Before sharing the recipe, I would like to stress that I’ve used organic soba. This means it comprises 100% buckwheat, which is a nutritious, grain-like seed that’s gluten-free. It’s not that I’m gluten intolerant but I just feel that soba containing 100% buckwheat is healthier than those that have wheat flour mixed in it.

Ingredients

1/2 packet soba noodles

Olive oil

1 packet shitake mushrooms, sliced

1 egg plant, cut into medium rectangles

200 g ladies finger, sliced

200 g baby corn, sliced lengthwise

1 block of tofu, cut into cubes

2 packets tempe, cut into cubes

1 heap tbsp sambal

4 tbsp kicap manis

1 tbsp soy sauce

1 tbsp oyster sauce

1 tsp ikan bilis powder

1/4 cup of vegetable water

salt to taste

Method

Boil water at high heat. Once boiled add in soba noodles and cook for 6 mins. Remove the pan from the stove and drain the water. Leave noodles aside.

Add water to a bowl and then add cut egg plant. Add some salt for taste. Cook egg plant in the microwave for about 4 mins or till soft.

Repeat the above using separate bowls for the ladies fingers. Cook in microwave till soft.

Drain the water in bowls but reserve 1/4 cup to add to the pan later.

Heat olive oil in a pan.

Add shitake and cook till it sweats.

Add baby corn and cook till it softens.

Reduce heat. Then add the egg plants and ladies fingers. Stir the mixture for 2 mins.

Add oyster sauce.

Then add sambal and kicap manis. Stir thoroughly.

Add the reserved salt water if too dry.

Then add soy sauce and ikan bilis stock.

Stir thoroughly and let the ingredients simmer on low heat for another 5 mins.

Tofu and tempe

I would recommend frying tofu and tempe before preparing the above ingredients as it takes about 30 mins.

Method

Heat oil in a pan.

Add tempe. Flip each side of each tempe so they are evenly cooked. Remove from pan and set aside.

Repeat the above process for the tofu.

Once the tofu is cooked on all sides, add in the cooked tempe back in the pan.

Add 2 tbsp kicap manis and 1 tbsp soy sauce. Stir the ingredients thoroughly.

For platting

Add some soba noodles in a bowl.

Place the vegetables evenly on top of the noodles.

Then place a few tofu and tempe on one side.

Enjoy!

I used sambal or chili paste bought from the supermarket. The chili paste usually contains ginger and garlic. You can find it in the Asian section. Alternatively, you can purchase it at an Asian store. There is no particular sambal you should use. I just prefer the one without shrimp in this recipe.

If you don’t eat egg plants, you can substitute it with any other vegetables you enjoy – long beans, capsicum, sprouts, radish etc.

The vegetables have a spicy kick, balanced out by the kicap manis. The oyster sauce adds depth while the ikan bilis or anchovy stock lifts the ingredients to another level. This secret ingredient can be bought from the Asian store or the local supermarket. If unavailable, chicken stock is a good alternative. The overall taste is simply delicious – an intermingle of spicy, sweet and salty. A hearty dish to have especially in winter.