Smoked tofu and broccoli ram-don recipe
This is a vegan version of a Korean noodle dish called jjapaguri, which got the name ram-don (a portmanteau of ramen and udon) for the subtitles of the 2019 film Parasite. It uses chunky smoked tofu, mushrooms and long-stem broccoli. The result is a moreish, umami-rich, addictively spicy noodle dish. To make the dish speedier, the aromatics (garlic, ginger, shallots and chilli) are placed in a food processor and then added to the wok.
Ingredients
For the ram-don- 200 g dried ramen or udon noodles
- 1 tbsp toasted sesame oil
- 2 garlic cloves
- 1 x 2.5cm/1inch piece of fresh root ginger, peeled
- 3 shallots
- 2 red chillies, deseeded
- 1 tbsp cornflour
- 1 tbsp rapeseed oil
- 200 g smoked tofu, drained, rinsed in cold water and sliced into 2cm (¾in) cubes
- 400 g firm tofu, drained and sliced into 2cm (¾in) cubes
- 200 g fresh shiitake mushrooms
- 1 tbsp Shaohsing rice wine
- 2 tbsp dark soy sauce
- 150 g long-stem broccoli, florets sliced lengthwise and stalks sliced into 0.5cm (¼in) rounds
- 2 tbsp vegetarian mushroom sauce
- 1 tbsp clear rice vinegar
- 1 tbsp tamari or low-sodium light soy sauce
- 2 spring onions (scallions), trimmed and finely sliced on the angle into 1cm (½in) slices
- 1 tsp dark soy sauce and Chiu Chow chilli oil
- 1 tbsp each tahini and sweet chilli sauce
- 1 sprinkle of shichimi togarashi pepper flakes
Details
- Cuisine: Korean
- Recipe Type: Noodles
- Difficulty: Easy
- Preparation Time: 15 mins
- Cooking Time: 10 mins
- Serves: 4
Step-by-step
- Cook the noodles according to the packet instructions. Rinse under cold water and drain well, then drizzle over the toasted sesame oil to prevent them from sticking together. Set aside in the colander until needed.
- Place the garlic, ginger, shallots and red chillies in a small food processor and blitz to form a paste.
- Mix the cornflour with 2 tbsp water in a small bowl or cup to make a slurry. Set aside until needed.
- Heat a wok over a high heat until smoking and add the rapeseed oil. Once hot, add the aromatic paste and cook, stirring, for a few seconds until fragrant.
- Add both kinds of tofu and the mushrooms. Season with the rice wine and dark soy sauce and toss together well for 1–2 minutes until all the ingredients are coated.
- Add the broccoli and cook, tossing, for 1 minute. Stir in the mushroom sauce, rice vinegar and tamari or light soy sauce.
- Pour in the cornflour slurry to thicken the cooking juices in the wok, and toss to mix well.
- Pour some boiling water over the noodles in the colander to reheat them, then divide them between four bowls.
- Place a ladleful of the tofu, mushroom and broccoli mixture on one side of the noodles in each bowl, and top with the sliced spring onion.
- Dress the noodles by drizzling over the dark soy sauce, Chiu Chow chilli oil, tahini and sweet chilli sauce, followed by a generous sprinkle of shichimi togarashi pepper flakes. Serve immediately.
This recipe is from Asian Green by Ching-He Huang, published by Kyle Books, priced £20.00. Photography by Tamin Jones.
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