This is inspired by the beef ram-don in the Korean movie Parasite. I wanted to make a vegan version using chunky smoked tofu, mushrooms and long-stem broccoli. The result is a moreish, umami-rich, addictively spicy noodle dish. To make the dish speedier, I place the aromatics (garlic, ginger, shallots and chilli) in a food processor and then just add them to the wok.
DETAILS
- Serves 4
- Prep 15 minutes
- Cook 9 minutes
INGREDIENTS
- 200g dried ramen or udon noodles
- 1 tbsp toasted sesame oil
- 2 garlic cloves
- 2.5cm piece of fresh root ginger, peeled
- 3 shallots
- 2 red chillies, deseeded
- 1 tbsp cornflour
- 1 tbsp rapeseed oil
- 200g smoked tofu, drained, rinsed in cold water and sliced into 2cm cubes
- 400g firm tofu, drained and sliced into 2cm (¾in) cubes
- 200g fresh shiitake mushrooms
- 1 tbsp Shaohsing rice wine
- 2 tbsp dark soy sauce
- 150g long-stem broccoli, florets sliced lengthwise and stalks sliced into 0.5cm rounds
- 2 tbsp vegetarian mushroom sauce
- 1 tbsp clear rice vinegar
- 1 tbsp tamari or low-sodium light soy sauce
- 2 spring onions, trimmed and finely sliced on the angle into 1cm slices
Noodle seasoning (per bowl):
- 1 tsp dark soy sauce and Chiu Chow chilli oil
- 1 tbsp each tahini and sweet chilli sauce
- sprinkle of shichimi togarashi pepper flakes
METHOD
- 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.
Recipe adapted from Asian Green by Ching-He Huang (Kyle Books, £20). Photography by Tamin Jones.