Drain the tofu, then press it:

Wrap the block in either a clean kitchen towel or paper towels.

Put the wrapped tofu on a dinner plate, place a second plate on top, and add cans or another heavy weight on top to help press out some of the liquid.

Let the tofu sit and press for at least 10-15 minutes

Note: You can start this process earlier and then come back to the recipe, if you’d like to give the tofu a little more time to press.

While the tofu is pressing, cut up your onion, green onion, and garlic (if not using pre-minced).

Meanwhile: Boil a pot of water and cook the rice noodles al dente according to package directions. Drain and set aside, reserving 1/4 cup of the pasta cooking water.

Once you have pressed the tofu, unwrap the block, pat it dry, and cut it into bite-sized cubes.

Place the cubed tofu in a large bowl. Drizzle tofu cubes with soy sauce and stir very gently, trying to keep the pieces intact. Add in the corn starch and seasonings, and stir again gently to coat.

Heat the canola and sesame oils in a large skillet over medium-high heat for one minute. Add the seasoned tofu and brown for about five minutes, then flip and brown the other side for about five minutes. Wipe out the bowl you used to season the tofu, then remove the browned tofu into that bowl while you cook the veggies.

Add more canola and sesame oil to the pan, add the onion and cook over medium-high heat for 2 minutes, then deglaze the pan with pasta water.

Stir in the garlic, then stir in the spinach until just wilted.

Stir in the cooked noodles, ginger, basil, crushed red pepper, soy sauce, and lime juice.

Once the noodles, seasonings, and veggies are nicely combined, gently stir in the pan-fried tofu. Top with chopped green onion and serve garnished with additional lime wedges, if desired.