Serves 2
Ingredients 
- 7/8 cup (200g) tempeh, seitan or firm tofu
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
- 2 1/2 cups (250g) bok choi leaves, halved lengthways
- Handful of fresh coriander, finely chopped
- 2 spring onions, sliced
For the maple and orange glaze
- 1 tsp toasted sesame oil
- 2cm fresh ginger, finely grated
- 1 clove of garlic, crushed
- 1/2 red chilli, deseeded and finely diced
- 3 tbsp tamari
- 2 1/2 tbsp maple syrup
- Zest and juice of 1/2 an orange
- 1 tbsp rice wine vinegar
For the miso noodle broth
- 7/8 cup (135g) soba noodles
- 1 tbsp tamari
- 1 star anise
- 3 1/2 tbsp brown rice miso
Method
- Drain the tempeh, dry and press out the excess liquid with kitchen paper. Warm the sesame oil in a small pan and add the ginger and garlic. Fry for a minute, then add the rest of the glaze ingredients. Slowly bring to a boil, then gently simmer for 5 minutes. Add the tempeh and cover. Set aside to marinate for 30 minutes to an hour.
- Heat 1 tbsp of oil in a frying pan, and when hot add the tempeh, keeping the marinade. Fry for around 2 minutes, adding the marinade gradually until the glaze becomes sticky – this should take around 10 minutes. Set aside, cover and keep warm.
- Cook your noodles according to the instructions on the pack. Drain, reserving about 500ml of the water, then keep the noodles warm in a bowl, stirring in a little oil.
- Pour the noodle water back into the pan, put back on the heat and add the tamari and star anise. Put the miso into a small bowl and mix in a couple of tbsp of the warm water. Add this paste to the pan and keep covered, simmering the broth on a low heat. The flavour should be strong – add more tamari and miso if needed.
- Heat ½ tbsp oil in your frying pan and add the bok choi. Cook for 2 minutes on a high heat, then add 3 tbsp of the miso broth and continue cooking for 1 more minute. Bring the broth to a slow boil. Divide your noodles between warm bowls, top with bok choi and ladle over some of the broth. Then stack on a pile of tempeh, topped with some sliced spring onions and a scattering of fresh coriander.
From Peace & Parsnips by Lee Watson