Noodles with Bok Choy-Cucumber Stir-Fry & Tofu Crumble
Most tofu stir-fries start with a block sliced into cubes. This one starts with your hands — crumbling raw tofu into a bowl, tossing it with olive oil, curry powder, and turmeric, then frying the pieces until golden and crisped at the edges. Different shape, completely different texture.
Whole wheat noodles underneath, a quick bok choy-cucumber stir-fry on top. The vegetables cook in two waves — white stalks first for 3 minutes of crunch, then leaves and cucumber hit the pan for barely a minute on high heat. Nine ingredients, 20 minutes, 632 kcal with 26g of plant protein.
Most tofu stir-fries start with a block sliced into cubes. This one starts with your hands — crumbling raw tofu into a bowl, tossing it with olive oil, curry powder, and turmeric, then frying the pieces until golden and crisped at the edges. Different shape, completely different texture.
Whole wheat noodles underneath, a quick bok choy-cucumber stir-fry on top. The vegetables cook in two waves — white stalks first for 3 minutes of crunch, then leaves and cucumber hit the pan for barely a minute on high heat. Nine ingredients, 20 minutes, 632 kcal with 26g of plant protein.
Ingredients
- tofu 3 ounces
- olive oil 1.5 tablespoon
- curry powder 1 teaspoon
- turmeric 0.5 teaspoon
- baby bok choy 1 head
- cucumber 0.5
- scallion 1
- noodles, whole wheat 3 ounces
- soy sauce 1 tablespoon
Method
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Allow the tofu to drain well. Crumble the tofu with your hands into a bowl. Mix with half of the oil, the curry and turmeric.
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Cut off the end of the bok choy stalk. Wash the leaves and then slice them crosswise into thin strips. Keep the white stalks separate from the green leaves. Quarter the cucumber lengthwise, remove the seeds and then slice the cucumber into strips. Cut the scallion into coarse pieces.
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Cook the noodles according to the instructions on the package. Let them drain well.
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Heat the remaining oil in a pan, add the white parts of the bok choy first and stir-fry for 3 minutes. Then add the bok choy leaves, cucumber, scallion and soy sauce and stir-fry on high heat for another 1-2 minutes.
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Heat a pan and stir-fry the tofu crumbles on high heat for 2-3 minutes until they are golden brown and crispy.
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Serve the noodles with the vegetables and tofu.
In step 1, you coat the tofu crumbles in olive oil and turmeric before they ever touch the pan. Research found that turmeric powder in a food-fat matrix delivered 44 times more curcumin than the same amount taken as a supplement capsule. The oil on each crumble acts as a carrier.
Why This Works
Behind this recipe
Does bok choy actually have calcium?
Yes, and your body absorbs a surprisingly large share of it. Researchers measured 52% calcium absorption from bok choy, compared to 46% from milk at the same dose. The difference comes down to oxalate — bok choy has almost none, so calcium stays available. Spinach, by comparison, is loaded with oxalate, which blocks most of its calcium from reaching your bones.
Is 26g of plant protein enough for one meal?
The idea that there is a hard cap on how much protein your body can use per meal keeps getting debated, but recent research challenges the old 20–30g ceiling. Your body absorbs and uses plant protein effectively — the rate differs from animal sources, but the total across a full day matters more than any single sitting.
Read the full evidence reviewWhy stir-fry the cucumber instead of leaving it raw?
Stir-frying cucumber on high heat for just 1–2 minutes keeps the crunch while warming it through. The seeds get removed first to avoid excess moisture in the pan, and the quick cook means the cucumber stays firm with a slight char. It is a textural shift that changes how the whole dish feels compared to cold, raw slices on the side.
