Ingredients:
For the stock
1 red onion, finely chopped
3 large cloves of garlic, finely chopped
3/4 red chilli, thinly sliced (save the other quarter to garnish with)
thumb sized piece of fresh ginger (half grated and half finely chopped)
juice squeezed from 1/2 lime
1 tsp tamari (or soy sauce)
1 tsp brown miso paste
700ml stock (feel free to add 1l of stock to make a bigger batch)
1 tsp brown sugar
1 tbsp peanut oil
200g udon noodles (if you're gluten free, soba noodles work really well too)
To Garnish:
1 tsp sesame seeds per bowl
1/4 chilli thinly sliced
For the tofu
2 tbsp peanut butter
juice squeezed from 1/2 lime
1 block firm tofu 280g, cut into 3cm
1 tsp tamari / soy sauce
Top with:
1 tsp sesame seeds
few slices of fresh chilli
fresh coriander (optional)
handful toasted peanuts
Method:
Drain the firm tofu then slice into 3cm cubes, add all of the marinade ingredients into a bowl, whisk then coat the sliced tofu and leave to marinade for around 15-30 minutes (overnight is even better)
Finely chop the red onion, the chopped half of the ginger and chilli then add to a pan with the peanut oil, fry for 5-6 minutes
Finely chop the garlic cloves then add to the pan to fry for a further 1-2 minutes
Add the vegetable stock, brown sugar, miso, tamari, squeeze of lime and grated ginger and bring to a simmer for around 10 minutes
Place a frying pan on a medium heat with a drizzle of peanut oil then add the marinated tofu and fry for around 4 minutes on each side until crispy then keep on a low heat until the ramen is ready
*If you want a silky smooth ramen, simply pour the liquid through a sieve to remove any chopped onion or chunks of ginger
Place the udon noodles in the miso soup and heat for around 5 minutes, then taste test adding a little more seasoning if needed
Serve up and garnish with a squeeze of lime, 1/2 tsp sesame seeds per bowl and thinly sliced red chilli along with the fried tofu. Top with a few toasted peanuts and enjoy!