Post brought to you in partnership with Nasoya. I was provided free product for review but the opinions are 100% mine!
I’m pretty sure all vegans everywhere know who Chloe Coscarellie (aka Chef Chloe) is. She wowed the world by winning Cupcake Wars with <gasp!> vegan cupcakes, and has gone on to build a delicious empire of cookbooks and successful restaurants. I was lucky enough to eat at one of her by CHLOE locations in NYC this month, so when I tell you she’s a genius, well, I know what I’m talking about.
So when I was approached by Nasoya, American’s #1 brand of tofu, about providing a review – I never even hesitated. Nasoya and Chloe FLAVOR have partnered to debunk the myth that vegan cooking is bland or less awesome in anyway. They’ve created a beautiful website with lots of tips and recipes on cooking delicious tofu-based recipes. You should check it out.
I was asked to create one of Chloe’s tofu recipes from the book, using Nasoya tofu, and let me tell you it was hard to narrow down the choices. At first I was going to make the Thai Red Curry Bowl. Then I was pretty sure that the Paneer Tikka Masala was the best choice. Or maybe the McVegan Breakfast Sandwich?
Finally, after much drool thought, I settled on the Vegan Ramen Bowl. What sold me? Well, it has coconut milk in the broth, and I’ve never had ramen with coconut milk in the broth, and it just sounded SO GOOD to me!
Spoiler alert: It was.
All of it was delicious. Crispy chunks of extra firm tofu cooked in hoisin sauce, tender mushrooms and bok choy, and that broth. That broth! Just a little creamy, just a little rich.
I used Nasoya Extra Firm Organic Tofu, which all my local stores carry (although you may have your own favorite among their many varieties), and all the other ingredients were easy to find as well. I had the noodles in my pantry from a trip to my favorite Asian market, but you could also just use the noodles from a package of regular ramen, and toss the seasoning packet.
I know there are a lot of cookbooks out there, but I honestly recommend this one. There are so many other recipes I’m excited to make, especially the Pistachio Ice Cream, the California Nachos, and the Avocado Peach Bruschetta.
- 8 ounces dried ramen noodles
- 3 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided, plus more as needed
- 1 (16-ounce) package extra-firm tofu, pressed and cubed
- 1/4 cup hoisin sauce
- 2 1/2 cups (8 ounces) fresh shiitake mushrooms, sliced
- 4 small baby bok choy, coarsely chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon curry powder
- 1/4 teaspoon fine grain sea salt
- 4 cups vegetable broth
- 1 (13.5-ounce) can coconut milk
- Toppings: Thinly sliced scallions; sesame seeds; sriracha or chili-garlic sauce (if you like it spicy!)
- Bring a large pot of heavily salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the noodles and cook according to the package directions. Drain and rinse with cold water and return to the pot, off the heat.
- Meanwhile, in a large nonstick skillet, heat 2 tablespoons of the oil over medium-high heat. When it shimmers, add the tofu and sear for about 3 minutes on each side, until golden and crispy. Add more oil as needed if the pan looks dry. Add the hoisin sauce, then reduce the heat to low and turn the tofu to coat.
- In a large saucepan, heat the remaining tablespoon of vegetable oil over medium-high heat. When it shimmers, add the mushrooms and bok choy and cook, stirring occasionally, for 3 to 5 minutes, until the mushrooms are soft and the bok choy has wilted. Add the garlic, curry powder, and salt and cook for about 1 minute more, until fragrant. Add the broth and bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low and stir in the coconut milk. Add the cooked ramen noodles and stir until heated through.
- Ladle the broth and noodles into bowls and top each serving with scallions, sesame seeds, and tofu. If you like a little heat, add a drizzle of sriracha or a dollop of chili-garlic sauce.
- Make it gluten-free: Use gluten-free noodles, gluten-free hoisin sauce, and gluten-free broth.
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This looks and sounds delicious! But then, I’m a sucker for anything with tofu and boy chow 🙂
That should have read “bok choy”… spell checkers have a mind of their own. LOL