Total Time
35 minutes

Rating
4(5,239)
Notes
Read community notes

Contrasting textures are a signature characteristic of Cantonese chow mein, in which crispy fried strands tangle with tender noodles. Here, that is achieved with the help of a sheet pan and an intensely hot oven. To ensure optimal crunch, start with the pan on the bottom rack to crisp the underside of the noodles, then move it up to the highest to encourage crackly noodles on top, too. Instant ramen noodles are the perfect choice for this recipe because they crisp up flawlessly; just soak them in boiling hot water to loosen them up before sliding them into the oven. The hoisin-marinated tofu is subtly sweet and carries a lot of the flavor in this noodle dish. Quick cooking baby bok choy adds freshness, but you could also use leftover vegetables or seasonal produce.

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Yield:4 servings

    For the Noodles

    • 3blocks instant ramen noodles (about 9 ounces), flavor packets discarded
    • 2tablespoons sesame oil
    • 2tablespoons neutral oil, such as grapeseed or vegetable
    • 2tablespoons soy sauce
    • Kosher salt (such as Diamond Crystal)
    • 1(14-ounce) package extra-firm tofu, patted dry and cut into ¼-inch-thick slices
    • 3baby bok choy, trimmed and sliced vertically into 4 pieces
    • Handful of cilantro leaves

    For the Marinade

    • 2tablespoons hoisin
    • 1tablespoon sesame oil
    • 1tablespoon maple syrup
    • 1garlic clove, grated
    • 1teaspoon sesame seeds

Ingredient Substitution Guide

Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)

474 calories; 26 grams fat; 8 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 9 grams monounsaturated fat; 8 grams polyunsaturated fat; 47 grams carbohydrates; 4 grams dietary fiber; 6 grams sugars; 16 grams protein; 1642 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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  1. Step 1

    Heat oven to 450 degrees and place one rack on the top and one on the bottom. Fill a kettle or medium pot with water (about 8 cups) and bring to a boil. Place the noodles in a heatproof bowl and cover with boiling water. Soak for 5 minutes, then drain. Set aside the bowl to use in Step 5.

  2. Step 2

    Make the marinade: In a medium bowl, whisk to combine the hoisin sauce, sesame oil, maple syrup, garlic and sesame seeds.

  3. Step 3

    Place the noodles on a sheet pan. Add the sesame oil, 1 tablespoon neutral oil, soy sauce and ½ teaspoon kosher salt. Toss to combine, then evenly spread out the noodles.

  4. Step 4

    Dip each tofu slice into the marinade, coating both sides, then add them to the sheet pan, pushing the noodles aside so that the tofu touches the pan and doesn’t just sit on top of the noodles. Place on the bottom rack of the oven and bake for 15 minutes. Reserve excess marinade.

  5. Step 5

    Place the baby bok choy into the reserved bowl, then add the remaining 1 tablespoon neutral oil and ½ teaspoon kosher salt, and toss to coat.

  6. Step 6

    Remove the sheet pan from the oven (the noodles should be crisp on the bottom and at the edges) and add the bok choy to the pan. Return the sheet pan to the top rack of the oven and bake for 4 to 7 minutes until the greens are vibrant with crispy edges, and the top of the noodles are crispy. Drizzle with the remaining marinade, top with cilantro leaves and serve.

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Made this almost as written. Had two large bok choy instead of baby bok choy, so they ended up mostly as individual pieces on top. Had ramen that was thinner than the usual type so only soaked for three minutes in the same pan as where I boiled the water. Made extra marinade for drizzle, there wasn't enough after tofu dipping. The crunchy/soft noodles are fun and the flavor great without being too salty. My 7 year old and 2 year old ate it all up, including the greens.

This dish was delicious! The teens absolutely loved it. That said, I made extra marinade and wished I had made even more. The noodles were a bit dry.

Make more marinade. Not enough to drizzle!

This is SO delicious. What a great outcome from such simple ingredients. I would recommend doubling the marinade so there is enough to drizzle at the end as I used the recommended amount up during the tofu prep.

As almost everyone else said, the marinade needs to be at least doubled. Also, to my taste this was under-spiced and I really felt like it needing some amping up. I ended up drizzling some soy sauce over it once plated and added chili crisp. If I made it again, I would double or maybe triple the garlic (if I was doubling the marinade I would use 4 or 5 cloves of garlic), sub some hot sesame oil for the plain sesame oil, and add some soy sauce and chili-garlic paste to the marinade.

A very flexible and forgiving recipe, downsized it for one and it turned out great! I wanted a little more protein and crunch so I threw in a handful of peanuts at the start, and used Thai Basil instead of cilantro as that is what I had. Next time I will also put some scallions in at the end.

I followed the advice of the others and doubled the marinade. Here’s what happens: about every 5 years the one virtuous bone in my body says “tofu! That’s a good idea!” But I am here to tell you that tofu is never a good idea. I was sold on the crispy noodle biz, and next time I’d triple that sauce and use pork or chicken.

Though the recipe says to discard the flavor packet, it would have been better if it said to save the packets for another use. For instance, you could add the contents to the water for making rice. Or use it to flavor water to make broth. Or boil up some vermicelli, and add it to the water for a (near) instant noodle soup.

It’s a little on the sweet side. Next time I’ll leave out the maple syrup since the hoisin sauce is also sweet. I added spicy chili crisp at the table and will probably just add it directly to the marinade next time I make it.

I have made this four times now. Learn from my two failed attempts: USE TWO SHEET PANS. With 1 pan, my noodles ended up steamed, with almost zero crunchy bits, and really, that’s what you’re making this for. The tofu releasing water doesn’t help in that regard. Parchment paper will help prevent the delicious crunchy bits from fusing to your pan. Other tips: double marinade, save half of it for drizzling on noodles after baking. This is pretty oil heavy—worth it.

This was a huge hit with the whole family. I modified it as follows: Taking the comments about it being too sweet into account, I left out the hoisin sauce, added a little oyster sauce and it was a good sweetness level. Added a whole bunch of fresh grated ginger Doubled the marinade Did it on two trays - one that was the marinated tofu and some sliced cabbage that I let roast, the other with the noodles + marinade + a bit of sesame oil + tossed baby spinach in a few minutes before it being done

I do this with parboiled Chinese egg noodles, strain, let dry, then spritz with oil before putting in the oven.

Attractive results but way too sweet and too oily even though I used a bit of marinade to moisten bokchoy instead of oil. A garnish of chopped scallions plus optional hot mustard sauce mitigated the sweetness, but next time I'll use less maple syrup and add hot red pepper flakes to marinade.

This is really tasty and comes together fairly easily with minimal hands-on time. I have made this twice now. I doubled the marinade after reading the comments. At the end, I thinned the remaining marinade with a little hot water to make it easier to drizzle. My store does not carry baby bok choy so I used broccolini the first time and a mix of cabbage/green beans/scallions the second time. I fried the tofu before baking it the second time I made this so it would be less soft at the end.

Didn't have hoisin so subbed oyster sauce with a little molasses. Doubled marinade, and added some chili crisp at the last step, to coat book choy. Absolutely delicious but there's quite a bit of oil in it (especially if you double marinade, which I agree you need to do to have enough). Would like to try again with a little less.

This came out great. I doubled the marinade based on other commenters and I could’ve tripled it. It seemed sweet before cooking but once it’s all together it was balanced. I added celery and onion to the noodles before putting them in the oven (separate pan because my oven is small and can’t fit a large one), and then ended up mixing in some shredded cabbage after cooking because my bok choy seemed like not quite enough veg. Served with chili crisp for those that wanted spice. I’ll definitely be making this again!

One of our family favorites. My husband doesn’t like bok choy, so I substitute broccoli and kale. Double the sauce recipe. Hoisin, lime, and cilantro to top. Sooo good!!!

This recipe is very amenable to personal preferences along with being very good as written. It helped us well utilize our csa bok choy & was delicious! Our 5 & 7yo enjoyed this version of "noodles!". Served chopped fresh cilantro & chili crisp as side condiments, and was glad to have made double the sauce w/ hot water to thin for drizzling per previous comments. The ramen noodles were familiar, the taste profile approachable & will definitely look to make this again!

If you have non-vegetarians in your house THIS is the recipe that will make them doubt themselves. I made exactly as directed and the only change I would make would be to add more bok choy. Baby bok choy is fairly small and I prefer lots of veggies. My family told me they wanted to dislike the tofu but couldn’t because it tasted so good! The trick is the marinade - it’s so delicious that it gives plain tofu a great boost of flavor, and the sheet pan method allows it to brown a bit. Loved this.

Buy organic Ocean’s Hali Ramen Noodles instead of instant ramen noodles Double the marinade and add some Sriracha. Cut tofu into small squares and toss with 1/2 of the marinade. Otherwise, follow recipe as noted.

Delightfully crispy and a robust mix of flavors. Seems almost reasonably healthy too. Will make again.

As others have said, more marinade makes a big difference. I doubled the recipe for marinating the tofu and then made it once more to drizzle on top. I also added some chili crisp once it was ready to serve. Delicious!

This recipe is a WINNER. Supermarket out of bok choi so I subbed broccoli. Double the sauce as others indicated. Such a great weeknight meal.

Regular favourite in our family. I make 2x the marinade and sometimes make it with broccolini instead of bok choy (put it in ~5 minutes earlier than the bok choy).

I made the mistake of using aluminum foil on the one-sheet pan. I had to add the tofu to another oiled pan to get the pleasant 'fried' texture. Next time I'll do it right. The noodles were wonderfully crisp and had a great flavor. I also chose to use Napa cabbage as my grocery didn't have bok choy in that day. I only used half of the head. I also realize that I need to go ahead and buy sesame oil as so many recipes call for it and I just use my good ole canola. This cook is still a newbie.

I added quartered little red onion to roast

We've made this several times and it's a hit with our whole family. Definitely double the marinade!

Each one makes 2 cups of broth! Great to have on hand. Love this recipe.

We love this recipe! A note to make it easier: when making the marinade, measure the sesame oil first -- then the other liquids will not stick to your tablespoon measure!

Definitely on the sweet side. I followed other directions and doubled the marinade. I also subbed maple syrup for hot honey with chili flakes and added garlic scapes. Overall it was yummy!

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