Vegan ramen recipe | Good Food

2 garlic cloves
thumb-sized piece ginger
sliced, plus a few slices cut into fine matchsticks to serve (optional)
1½ tbsp white miso paste
1 tbsp neri goma
(white sesame paste) or tahini
15g dried shiitake mushrooms
1l good-quality vegan stock
2 tbsp soy sauce
200g firm tofu
cut into chunky cubes
1 tbsp cornflour
1 tbsp veg or sunflower oil
100g (2 x nests) ramen or rice noodles
1 head pak choi
quartered
2 spring onions
finely sliced, white and green parts kept separate
25g ready-to-eat beansprouts
1 carrot
peeled and cut into fine matchsticks
sesame oil
sriracha, chopped coriander, crushed peanuts, crumbled sheets of nori or dried chilli threads (silgochu), to serve (optional)

Method

step 1
Crush the garlic with the back of a big knife, then put it in a saucepan with the ginger, miso, neri goma, mushrooms, stock and soy. Bring to a gentle simmer, cover and bubble for 5 mins until the ginger is soft. Strain into a clean pan and discard everything left in the strainer.
step 2
Meanwhile, cook the tofu. Toss it in the cornflour and heat the oil in a frying pan. Fry for a few mins on each side, being careful as you turn it that it doesn’t fall apart. Cook the noodles for 1 min less than pack instructions, so they retain a little bite. Drain and leave in the pan with a little cooking water so they don’t stick together.
step 3
Add the pak choi and whites of the spring onions to the broth and gently reheat for 1-2 mins until the greens have just wilted.
step 4
Divide the noodles between two deep bowls, ladle over the broth and veg. Top with the tofu, beansprouts, carrot and ginger matchsticks, green parts of the spring onions and a drizzle of sesame oil, plus the other toppings, if you like.