Last updated on October 5, 2018 by Liza Hawkins
With crispy tofu glazed in a thick hoisin sauce, loads of veggies and noodles, and rich, creamy broth, this simple vegan ramen recipe from Chloe Flavor will be sure to have you wanting seconds!
This post has been sponsored by Nasoya®.
Last month I received a copy of Chloe Flavor, the latest cookbook from Chef Chloe Coscarelli, in collaboration with Nasoya (all the tofu recipes in her new cook book use Nasoya tofu).
As you well know, I’m not a vegetarian, but I have friends and family who are and we enjoy meatless recipes here from time-to-time, too.
When the cook book arrived, it came with a challenge: choose a recipe from Chloe Flavor that uses tofu to prepare and share.
I dig a good food challenge, particularly when it’s an ingredient or style with which I’m not as familiar. I also adore paging through actual cook books, reading the recipes and drooling over the photos.
Deciding on a recipe from Chloe Flavor wasn’t easy, I’ll tell you that—the variety and photographs are drool-worthy! The day I happened to perusing was a dreary, rainy one. I wanted comfort food, something warm and hearty.
Given that, it’s no surprise I settled on her Vegan Ramen Bowl.
The recipe starts by prepping the tofu, and in this case I went with Nasoya Organic Extra Firm Tofu because the tofu needs to withstand searing (to get that wonderful crispy exterior). Nasoya sent me this tofu press which helps get all the liquid out in a very easy-to-use manner.
I let it sit for an hour, but you can even prep it the night before and let it sit in the fridge until you’re ready to use it the next day. Time saver!
Once the tofu was prepped, I seared it in a hot pan with canola oil (and a dash of sesame oil) for a few minutes on each side until they got nice and golden.
The treat, however, was after the hoisin sauce was added—it got all bubbly and ended up glazing the crispy tofu in a magical way.
Once the tofu was done, I set it aside to rest while I prepped the broth and noodles. I loved the flexibility Chef Chloe narrates in the recipe with regards to noodles. She suggests everything from dried noodles in the ramen soup packages (yes, the kind we lived off in college) to gluten-free options you can find in the grocery store.
I went with Nasoya Pasta Zero Spaghetti because it sounded tasty and it happened to be right next to the tofu I picked up … very convenient.
All it took to prep the noodles was a little rinse in sink. Easy peasy.
The broth is savory blend of flavors built on sautéed shiitake mushrooms and baby bok choy, and then layered with curry powder, vegetable stock and coconut milk, followed by the noodles last. Each serving bowl was topped with diced green onions and a spoonful of the crispy tofu.
That hoisin sauce, amiright?
I’m SO excited to try other recipes from Chloe Flavor. This one far exceeded my expectations, not because it didn’t look or sound good, but because I’m such a fan of meat-based ramen and it’s hard to picture a vegetarian option (let alone vegan!) being so extremely satisfying.
You can find a copy of Chloe Flavor by visiting the Nasoya website, or by browsing Amazon, Barnes & Noble or Indiebound.
This post was sponsored by Nasoya.
