Meera Sodha’s vegan recipe for Arya’s birthday udon

My funny, curious, panda-loving daughter, Arya, is turning nine this week, so I wanted to write a recipe to celebrate her and some of her favourite things to eat. Arya adores the chewiness of udon, the bounciness of tofu, the sweet, sour saltiness of sweet soy and tamarind, the crunch of cabbage and she’d put chilli (in any form) over her breakfast cereal if she could (although it’s optional in this recipe).

Happy birthday, Arya. This comes together quickly, so make sure you do all the prep first. Prep 15 min, Cook 30 min, Serves 4. You can use nearly all of a spring onion, so long as you wash it well: slice the entire thing, put it in a bowl of water, swish well with a hand, then scoop out with a hand to drain; don’t strain it, so any dirt stays at the bottom of the bowl.

In a small bowl, mix 1½ tsp tamarind paste, 3 tbsp light soy sauce and 3 tbsp kecap manis with three tablespoons of water to make a sauce. Put the carrots, cabbage and spring onion whites in a medium bowl for the stir-fry.

meera sodha, vegan recipe, udon noodles, tofu, kecap manis, tamarind paste, sweet soy, cabbage, spring onion, stir fry