Tofu Ramen with Cucumbers & Chili Crisp
 
 
Adapted from Bon Appetit
Author:
Serves: 2-4
Ingredients
  • ¼ cup less sodium soy sauce
  • 1 tablespoon light or dark brown sugar
  • 1 tablespoon tahini
  • 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
  • 2 teaspoons Chinkiang (black vinegar) or balsamic vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon chili crisp + more for serving
  • 2 very small Keiki cucumbers or Persian cucumbers, thinly sliced into rounds
  • ½ cup unseasoned rice vinegar
  • 2 teaspoons Diamond Crystal or 1¼ teaspoon Morton kosher salt, divided
  • 1 14-ounce block extra-firm tofu, water pressed out
  • 2 tablespoons cornstarch
  • 4 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided
  • 6 ounces shiitake mushrooms, stems removed and finely chopped
  • 1 shallot (2 tablespoons) finely chopped
  • 1 1-inch piece ginger, peeled and finely chopped
  • 2 medium or 1 large garlic clove, finely chopped
  • 10 ounces fresh ramen (12 ounces for 4 servings)
Preparation
  1. Whisk soy sauce, brown sugar, tahini, sesame oil, black vinegar, 1 tablespoon chili crisp, and ½ cup water in a small bowl until sugar is dissolved. Set aside.
  2. Toss cucumbers with rice vinegar and 1 teaspoon Diamond Crystal or ¾ teaspoon Morton salt in a medium bowl. Let sit, stirring occasionally until cucumbers have slightly softened, about 30 minutes. Drain and set aside in a small bowl.
  3. Meanwhile, press water from tofu using TofuXpress or wrap in a clean kitchen towel (gather ends together) and squeeze with your hands over the sink to extract as much liquid as possible. Crumble drained tofu into a medium bowl (it should resemble cooked ground meat with some larger pieces). Sprinkle with cornstarch and 1 teaspoon Diamond Crystal or ½ Morton salt. Toss with your hands to evenly coat tofu.
  4. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a large (12-inch) non-stick skillet over medium high heat. Arrange tofu crumbles in a single layer, reserve bowl. Cook tofu undisturbed until golden brown underneath, about 4 minutes. Toss and continue cooking until tofu is golden brown and crisp all over, about 3-4 minutes more. Transfer tofu back to reserved bowl.
  5. Add remaining 2 tablespoons oil to same skillet and heat to medium high. Add mushrooms and shallot, and cook, stirring occasionally until mushrooms are browned and shallot is translucent, about 4 minutes. Add ginger and garlic and cook, stirring often, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Reduce heat to medium and return tofu to the pan. Add reserved sauce and heat for about 30-60 seconds. Remove from heat. For saucier version, heat sauce in a separate skillet over medium until just slightly reduced.
  6. Cook noodles in a large pot of boiling water according to package directions. Drain and divide among bowls. Ladle tofu over noodles and top with reserved pickled cucumbers and more chili crisp. If sauce has been heated separately, pour sauce over tofu right before serving.
Recipe by My Lilikoi Kitchen at https://www.mylilikoikitchen.com/2022/02/26/tofu-ramen-with-cucumbers-chili-crisp/