Mongolian Tofu & Noodle Bowl

Directions

1. Drain a package of tofu & cut into cubes.
2. Prepare a bowl with wine (can also use grape juice), ginger-garlic paste, soy sauce, *half* of the sesame oil, and brown sugar. I also like to add a pinch of chili pepper for kick.
3. Place the tofu cubes into the bowl & marinate for ~1 hour, turning after about 30 minutes to make sure all sides are well marinated.
4. While the tofu is marinating, shred the carrots (2 medium-sized carrots will do) & cabbage and cut the mushrooms into bite-sized pieces.
5. When the tofu is done marinating, take the tofu out but save the marinade sauce.
6. Heat the remaining 1 tablespoon of sesame oil in a large pot. When it's hot, use the oil to briefly fry the tofu so that it's light brown on all sides.
7. Take the tofu out of the pan and set it aside.
8. Use the same pan to brown the cabbage, carrot, and mushrooms together. It shouldn't take more than 3 minutes to lightly brown these.
9. Add in the water, veggie stock, marinade, and browned tofu to the pan & bring it to a boil.
10. When the water is boiling, add the noodles (you can use any kind) and cook. Some noodles require more time than others, so be sure to check the cook time on the package and stick to that. Udon noodles are good in about 6-8 minutes. Take the pot off the heat as soon as the noodles are cooked so that they don't get too soggy.