If you’re looking for an absolutely delicious way to make a vegan ramen, this peanut & gochujang mixture is the key! Gochujang is a traditional Korean condiment. It is a fermented chili paste made from red chili peppers, glutinous rice, fermented soybeans, and salt. The combination of these ingredients provides a balance of sweet, spicy, and savory flavors, making it a versatile condiment for various dishes. Gochujang’s spicy element comes from the red chili peppers, which contain capsaicin. Capsaicin has been associated with various health benefits, such as potentially aiding in weight management, reducing inflammation, and providing pain relief. Additionally, the fermented soybeans in gochujang provide probiotics, which can be beneficial for gut health.
This dish comes together in about 30 minutes, including the crispy tofu topping. If you are limiting your FODMAPs, you can easily decrease the amount of mushrooms in this vegan ramen – replacing with eggplant or additional carrots.
Looking for other similar inspired dishes, check out my Vegan Thai Peanut Curry or my Sesame Crusted Tofu Fried Rice.
Peanut & Gochujang Vegan Ramen (GF)
Ingredients
Crispy Tofu
- 1 block Extra Firm Tofu *see notes for my favourite prep!
- 1 t Avocado Oil
- 4 T GF Breadcrumbs
- 4 T Nutritional Yeast
Ramen
- 4 Mushrooms Sliced
- 1 Zucchini Sliced
- 2 Carrots Sliced
- 1 T Ginger Minced
- 1 Garlic Clove Minced
- 3 T Peanut Butter
- 1 T Gochujang Paste *
- 1 T Maple Syrup
- 2 T Tamari
- 4 cups Vegetable Stock or water
- 6 oz Ramen or Udon Noodles
Garnish
- 1 Lime
- 1 t Black Sesame Seeds
- Handful Microgreens
Instructions
Crispy Tofu
- Prep tofu by allowing to thaw slightly and cutting into strips, marinating in a few tablespoons of tamari for 15 minutes (or longer). If using oven, preheat to 400F/200C. Prep a baking sheet with a silpat or parchment paper.
- Add avocado oil to tofu then cover with breadcrumb & nutritional yeast mixture.
- Bake for 30 minutes, flipping once. Or my preferred method is to airfry tofu at 380 for 20 minutes, flipping once!
Ramen
- In a deep fry pan or medium sauce pan over medium heat, add avocado oil and saute carrots with ginger and garlic for 2 minutes.
- Add mushrooms and zucchini, saute an additional 2 minutes.
- Add peanut butter, gochujang, maple, tamari with 1/4 cup vegetable stock or water and simmer until combined.
- Add rest of vegetable stock or water, bring to a boil.
- Add ramen or udon noodles and simmer until noodles are cooked.
- Serve with crispy tofu, a generous squeeze of lime, sesame seeds, and microgreens!
*My favourite way to prep tofu is to remove the block from packaging, squeeze dry and place into plastic wrap. Then freeze it! Allow to freeze for half a day at least and then remove to slightly thaw before slicing and continuing with cooking. This freeze method allows the tofu to take on a new texture!
*I highly suggest the Gochu Jang paste by Sinto Gourmet! (Not an ad, just a fan!)