Smoked tofu and broccoli Korean-style ram-don (jjapaguri)
‘Ram-don’ is an invented name for the Korean dish jjapaguri. In this version the meat is replaced with two types of tofu.
Ingredients
- 200g/7oz dried ramen or udon noodles
- 1 tbsp toasted sesame oil
- 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 2.5cm/1in piece root ginger, peeled and finely chopped
- 3 shallots, finely chopped
- 2 red chillies, seeds removed and finely chopped
- 1 tbsp cornflour
- 1 tbsp rapeseed oil
- 200g/7oz smoked tofu, drained, rinsed in cold water and cut into 2cm/¾in cubes
- 400g/14oz firm tofu, drained and cut into 2cm/¾in cubes
- 200g/7oz fresh shitake mushrooms, sliced
- 1 tbsp Shaoxing rice wine
- 2 tbsp dark soy sauce
- 150g/5½oz long stem broccoli, florets sliced lengthways, and stalks sliced into 5mm/¼ in rounds
- 2 tbsp vegetarian mushroom sauce
- 1 tbsp clear rice vinegar
- 1 tbsp tamari
- 2 spring onions, trimmed and finely sliced on the angle into 1cm/½in
For the noodle seasoning (per bowl)
- 1 tsp dark soy sauce
- 1 tsp chilli oil (such as Chiu chilli oil)
- 1 tbsp tahini
- 1 tbsp sweet chilli sauce
- sprinkle shichimi togarashi pepper flakes (a Japanese spice blend)
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 the noodles from sticking together. Set aside in the colander until needed.
Place the garlic, ginger, shallots and red chillies in a small food processor and blend to form a paste.
Mix the cornflour in a small bowl or cup with 2 tablespoons of water 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 shallot 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, or until all the ingredients are coated.
Add the broccoli and cook, tossing, for 1 minute. Stir in the mushroom sauce, rice vinegar and tamari. Pour in the reserved cornflour slurry to thicken the cooking juices in the wok and toss to mix well. Let the sauce cook for 30 seconds to 1 minute to enrichen and reduce in volume a little.
Pour some boiling water over the noodles in the colander to reheat them, then divide them among four shallow 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.
For the noodle seasoning, dress each bowl of noodles by drizzling over the dark soy sauce. chilli oil, tahini and sweet chilli sauce, followed by a generous sprinkle of shichimi togarashi pepper flakes. Serve immediately, and just before eating, mix all the ingredients well.