There are now a handful of restaurants that serve ramen in our neighborhood.
But there are still large gaps in quality from one restaurant to another.
And it is hard to get a table if you want good quality ramen.
I’m happy to see that ramen is becoming popular in the U.S., but it’s also frustrating that you can’t just go get good ramen any time you want.
So once in a while I do make my own ramen.
My vegan tantan ramen starts with marinating deep-fried tofu.
The broth is rich, creamy, and has depth of flavors.
I found these noodles at a local Asian market.
They were selling them as “Chinese noodles”, so I thought it would be perfect.
It also looked more yellowish through the packaging.
I particularly picked this brand because the yellow color was added by turmeric and not artificial dye.
When they were cooked, the color was almost gone, and I also realized that the noodles were rather flat and wider than I thought when they were before cooked.
I was a bit disappointed, but they still tasted good.
Baby bok choy is one of my favorite green leaves.
These are not only pretty but also very flavorful and refreshing.
I was so happy with the result.
Tantan Ramen – Vegan
1 package deep-fried tofu, crumbled
marinade (soy sauce, maple syrup, garlic powder, onion powder)
canola oil
1/3 cup chopped scallion
1 teaspoon chopped ginger
1~2 tablespoon tobanjan (豆板醤Doubanjiang: chili bean paste)
700 cc water
1~1.5 tablespoons white vinegar
1~1.5 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon sugar
3~4 tablespoons tahini
1 teaspoon miso
200 cc soy milk
salt
sesame oil
garlic chili paste
Chinese noodles, cooked
baby bok choy
1. Marinate crumbled deep-fried tofu in the marinade mixture overnight.
2. Cook scallion and ginger in oil. Add the crumbled/marinated tofu and tobanjan. Continue to cook over high heat. Stir constantly. Salt and pepper if needed. Set aside 2 tablespoons.
3. Add water and boil. Turn down to low heat.Skip the foam from the top.
4. Add vinegar, soy sauce, sugar, tahini, miso, milk, and salt. Add soy milk. Heat up the soup.
5. Place cooked noodles in a bowl. Pour the soup over the noodles. Put the tofu/ginger/scallion mixture that was set aside on top. Serve with sesame oil, garlic chili paste, and baby bok choy.
By 
