Easy Vegan Tofu Curry Ramen

This Easy Vegan Tofu Curry Ramen is something between a ramen soup and a curry. Simple, Yummy, and Fully Plant-Based Comfort Food.

Ever since our last trip to Thailand this past winter, we have been enjoying curries in all sorts of combinations. Plant-based or meat-based, with a side of rice or with noodles, in soups and sauces. We absolutely love a good curry, as it’s the ultimate comfort food. Plus it’s really easy to make, fast and somehow always turns out delicious.

Our summer sucks this year. I am craving a heat-wave, wearing flip flops and cute summer dresses, and eating ice cream and chilled watermelon. But instead, we rarely hit 30°C (86°F), the mornings are chilly, and we just had plenty of rainfall during the night.

So it’s not surprising, we’ve been making hot curry bowls in the bulk and will be sharing even more curry recipes in the upcoming weeks, but today, we share this Easy Vegan Tofu Curry Ramen.

As the title says, this is a mix between a curry and a ramen soup. It’s based on a coconut curry sauce, as per usual, with the addition of summer vegetables like peppers and zucchini.

Ingredients & Substitutions

• firm tofu. We will be pan-frying the tofu so it needs to be firm enough to hold the shape.
• onion
• carrot
• green bell pepper. Red or yellow pepper will work just as fine.
• garlic
• curry spice mix. In this recipe, we use a store-bought dry curry spice mix. You can also use curry paste instead, or mix your own curry mix using dry spices.
• cayenne pepper. This adds a bit of heat, as the curry spice mix we used is not spicy at all. Adjust as needed, depending on the level of spice you want.
• ginger. In this recipe, we used powdered ginger, but grating in fresh ginger would also work splendidly.
• smoked paprika. This will add a bit of a smokiness to the recipe. 
• vegetable broth
• coconut milk
• corn starch. Corn starch is used to thicken the broth a bit. You can skip it, or use rice flour or tapioca flavor.
• zucchini. You can use other vegetables if you want, like mushrooms.
• lime. To add a bit of zing at the end.
• ramen noodles. No ramen soup is complete without ramen noodles, but rice noodles would also work.

How to make this Vegan Tofu Curry Ramen

Start by preparing your vegetables – slice the onion and pepper, mince the garlic, and peel the carrot and zucchini into long strips with a peeler.

Next prepare your tofu – tap the tofu dry with a paper towel, then dice and season with salt, pepper, and smoked paprika. Heat a pan, add a drizzle of oil, toss in the diced tofu, and stir-fry it until golden brown. Once done, remove from pan and set aside.

Next, using the same pan, first, add more oil if needed, otherwise add in the onion, carrot, and pepper and stir-fry. Stir in the garlic, then push the vegetables to the side and add the spices to the middle of the pan. Let them cook, stirring, until they darken, then pour over a ladle of vegetable broth and stir well to combine.

Now, pour in the coconut milk and the rest of the vegetable broth, bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer and cook for another 10 minutes.

If you want to thicken your broth, mix corn starch with a spoon of water, then add to the broth, along with zucchini. Mix well and cook for another 5 minutes, until the soup thickens.

Meanwhile, cook the ramen noodles separately in salted water as per package instructions. Once cooked, drain and divide them into bowls, pour oven with the curry sauce and top with fried tofu. 

To finish, drizzle some fresh lime juice, or serve a lime wedge to the side.

So easy, so tasty, pure comfort. The perfect dish to have on a rainy day.

This recipe is brought to you by Hofer Slovenija.

Make sure to check our other pantry meal recipes!

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