Udon lo mein with bean curd sticks, asparagus and tofu

Bring a pot of water with the soybean sticks to a boil.

Remove the woody ends of the asparagus (save for veggie stock) and cut into bite-sized pieces.

Once boiling, boil the soybean sticks five more minutes to rehydrate.

Stir together the soy sauce, rice vinegar, chili oil and maple syrup for the sauce.

Cook the udon with the shimeji mushrooms for half the package time, here four minutes.

Heat a sauté pan over medium-high heat with olive oil. Reserve one cup of the cooking water and strain out the rest.

Sauté the asparagus three to five minutes.

Add the crumbled tofu, sauté a minute, then add the noodles.

Deglaze with the cooking water; when most is absorbed, add the sauce.

Cook five to eight minutes until most of the sauce is absorbed.

Plate and top with freshly chopped green onion.