Place an unpacked and drained tofu block on a shallow bowl or plate. Put heavy weight (such as large canned item) on top. Let it stand for 15-20 minutes to drain excess water.
Meanwhile, preheat the oven at 400 °F (205 °C.)
When it’s drained, cut the block in half then slice into 1/2-inch thickness. Place them on parchment lined baking sheet (or any non-stick surface) in a single layer. Seasoned with salt and black pepper on both sides (1/4 tsp salt & 1/4 tsp black pepper on each side.) Bake them for 25-30 minutes on one side then flip and bake another 10-15 minutes until crispy and golden brown. Take them out and set aside.
In a large pot, start boiling water for cooking somen noodles.
Meanwhile, prepare the sauce. Combine all the sauce ingredients (gochujang, soy sauce, rice vinegar, sugar, toasted sesame oil, toasted sesame seeds, garlic paste, and gochugaru) in a large prep bowl. Mix until well combined. Set aside.
Once the water is boiling, cook somen noodles for 2 minutes (or follow the instructions on the package.) Use a colander to drain. Rinse the noodles under running water to remove the starch. Shake off the excess water.
Add the well-drained somen noodles to the bowl of sauce mixture. Toss them together until the noodles are well coated with the sauce.
Serve immediately with the toppings: Julienned English cucumber, vegan kimchi, extra toasted sesame seeds & toasted sesame oil, and oven-baked tofu (optional.)