Tofu Ramen with a Homemade Twist ππ
Tonight, I decided to take my ramen game up a notch and create a flavorful masterpiece from scratch. While I don’t have a formal recipe to follow, I can certainly share the loose description of how I crafted this culinary delight:
Preparation:
- First, I pressed a block of extra firm tofu for about half an hour to remove excess moisture.
- Preheated the oven to 425Β°F to get it ready for the tofu.
Broth:
- In a large pan over high heat, I browned coarsely chopped onions, fresh ginger, celery, leeks, and garlic until fragrant and golden.
- Then, I added in some lemon zest, bay leaves, peppercorns, fennel seeds, whole cloves, dark miso paste, and soy sauce to infuse the broth with rich flavors.
- After letting the flavors meld together for a couple of minutes, I poured in 10 cups of water and stirred well.
- I transferred the mixture to the instant pot and cooked it for 45 minutes. If you don’t have an instant pot, simmering the broth on the stove for a couple of hours will also do the trick.
Tofu:
- While the broth was simmering away, I cut the pressed tofu into rectangular shapes.
- I brushed the tofu with miso paste and arranged it on a pan lined with a silicone baking mat.
- Then, I brushed the tofu with fried garlic chili oil for an extra kick.
- After baking for a while and turning halfway through, I finished them off under the broiler for a couple of minutes to achieve that perfect crust.
Additional Toppings:
- I also browned some thinly sliced leeks and mushrooms to add to the ramen later on.
Assembly:
- Once the broth was ready, I strained it back into the original large pan and brought it back to a low boil.
- I threw four packs of ramen noodles into the broth and let them cook for a couple of minutes until tender.
- I carefully transferred the noodles to large bowls and poured a few ladlefuls of the flavorful broth on top.
- Next, I arranged the tofu rectangle prisms on top of the ramen and broth, adding a touch of elegance.
- For the finishing touches, I garnished the ramen bowls with fresh green onions, red jalapeΓ±os, basil, mint, and cilantro, along with a squeeze of lime.
- I also added the sautΓ©ed mushrooms and leeks, a spoonful of hoisin sauce, and a drizzle of fried chili oil for an extra burst of flavor.
Conclusion: This homemade Tofu Ramen was a labor of love and creativity, resulting in two big bowls of pure culinary bliss. I hope you enjoy every mouthful of this aromatic and comforting dish as much as I did. Bon appΓ©tit! πππ±
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I decided to dress up my ramen tonight ππ±
***I don’t have a formal recipe per se but I can give a loose description of how I made this:
The first thing I did was pressed a block of extra firm tofu for about a half hour.
Preheat oven to 425Β°.
Then in a large pan on high heat I browned coarsely chopped onions, fresh ginger, celery, leeks, and garlic, then I added in some lemon zest, bay leaves, peppercorns, fennel seeds, whole cloves, dark miso paste, and soy sauce. I let the flavors mesh together for a couple of minutes then I added in 10 cups of water and stirred well.
I then transferred to the instant pot and cooked for 45 minutes (if you don’t have an instant pot you can simmer the broth for awhile on the stove maybe for a couple of hours).
While the broth was going in the IP, I came back to the tofu and cut it into rectangular shapes. I brushed the tofu with miso paste and then arranged in a pan on a silicone baking mat. I then took some fried garlic chili oil and brushed the top. I let bake for awhile, then turned halfway through and brushed the other side with the chili oil. At the end I put it on low broil for a couple of minutes to get that nice crust.
I then browned some thinly sliced leeks and mushrooms and set them aside.
When the broth finished in the instant pot I strained it back into the original large pan. I brought it back to a low boil and threw four packs of ramen noodles in the broth for a couple of minutes.
I got the noodles out the pot and placed in a large bowl, then poured a few ladlefuls of the broth on top.
I carefully arranged four of the tofu rectangle prisms on top of the ramen and broth, then garnished with fresh green onion, red jalapeΓ±os, fresh basil, mint, and cilantro, lime, sautΓ©ed mushrooms and leeks, a spoonful of hoisin, and a spoonful of fried chili oil.
It made enough for two big bowls of ramen and some leftover broth.
I hope you all enjoy πππ±