Scissor Cut Tofu Pasta With Creamy Gochujang Sauce (vegan)

Scissor cut tofu pasta - these vegan pasta noodles are so easy to make with just two ingredients - silken tofu and flour, and there is no need for a pasta roller, you just snip the dough with a pair of kitchen scissors!

Served with an easy, creamy, spicy gochujang sauce for a quick, healthy, high protein meal that is delicious and satisfying.

I cook this scissor cut tofu pasta often as it is so quick and easy to make, really satisfying, and goes well with pretty much any kind of sauce you like. The noodles are soft and chewy with a cute shell or leaf-like shape, I believe that the scissor cut technique originated in China.

While you can make this kind of pasta noodle with just flour and water, I like to use blended silken tofu instead of water to increase the protein content. I then use the leftover blended tofu in whatever sauce I cook to go alongside the pasta, which makes it lovely and creamy without adding lots of fat.

Here I made a simple creamy gochujang sauce which only takes about 10 minutes to make yet is deliciously rich, spicy and flavourful.

While the scissor cut pasta is something I have been making for some time now, the idea to combine it with a creamy gochujang sauce is inspired by Prunchme on Instagram, so all credit to him for the delicious recipe!

Ingredient Details:

For The Pasta:

Silken tofu: This is usually (but not always) the shelf stable kind of tofu, often found in the 'foreign' section of supermarkets. It has a very soft, custardy texture. I like Yutaka or Mori-nu brands. Firm is best but any will work.

Plain flour: I have only tested these using plain (all-purpose) flour. You could also use Italian 00 flour; I do not recommend using wholemeal or gluten-free flour.

For The Sauce:

Gochujang: Gochujang is a spicy, savoury, slightly sweet, fermented Korean chilli paste.

Red onion and garlic: I think that red onion works best here, and it also doesn't need to cook for as long as white onion would. You can use either fresh or frozen garlic.

Tomato puree: Also known as tomato paste, this adds depth of flavour.

Nutritional yeast: This adds a hint of cheesy flavour which works really well with the spice from the gochujang.

How To Make Scissor Cut Tofu Pasta:

(Full measurements and instructions can be found in the recipe card at the bottom of the page)

Step 1: Place the block of silken tofu in a blender and blend until smooth.

Step 2: Place the plain flour in a bowl and add 180g of the blended tofu. Mix to form a shaggy dough then use your hands to bring it together into a ball. It should be quite stiff.

Step 3: Knead the dough on an unfloured surface for 5 minutes until it is very smooth and not at all sticky. Cover the dough and leave to rest for 15-20 minutes. Meanwhile bring a large pan of salted water to the boil.

Step 4: Use a pair of kitchen scissors to snip off bitesized pieces of the dough, either directly into the boiling water or onto a lightly floured tray. If you cut the dough onto a tray, tip all of the pieces into the boiling water and stir briefly to break them apart.

Step 5: Cook the noodles for 5-10 minutes until al-dente then drain well reserving the cooking water.

Step 6: To make the sauce, heat the oil in a large pan and add the sliced red onion. Cook for about 5 minutes until softened then add the garlic, gochujang paste and tomato puree, cook for another minute.

Step 7: Add the nutritional yeast, the rest of the blended tofu, 120ml of the resrved pasta water and some salt and pepper. Stir in the cooked noodles and serve.

Top Tips:

You may need to adjust the cooking time depending on what size you cut the noodles, they should take 5-10 minutes and will float to the surface when cooked. You want them to have a firmish, 'al-dente' texture in the middle, don't leave them to cook too long or they may become too soft.

Try to cut all of the noodles roughly the same size and don't make them too large.

If you don't feel confident cutting the noodles directly into the boiling water then you can snip them onto a lightly floured tray instead. Try and keep them in a single layer and tip them into the pan of boiling water all at once then give them a stir to separate any that may have stuck together.

The dough shouldn't stick to the scissors but if you do find that it sticks, grease both the scissors and dough with a little oil.

For an even more flavourful sauce mix some low sodium stock powder into the 120ml of pasta water before you add it to the sauce.

FAQ's:

If you tried this recipe let me know how it went! Rate it, leave a comment or tag @domestic_gothess on Instagram and hashtag it #domesticgothess

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