[pinny url=”http://74.48.178.175/2013/10/13/tofu-tom-yum-my-ramen/” media=”tomyummy” src=”http://74.48.178.175/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/tomyummy.jpg” description=”Tofu Tom Yum with Ramen noodles”]
I’ve been watching the PBS series David Chang (chef/owner of Momofuku) did in 2012, and he had a really fun and non-pretentious view of instant ramen, yes that dried stuff with the salty silver packet of seasoning that you get 6 of for a $1. He described instant ramen as what “Mac and cheese” was for most kids was ramen at his house, he talked about eating it raw, cooked, etc. We followed David as he ate ramen at all the best spots in Japan (where he worked at ramen shops early in his career) and his overall appreciation for it in all forms. I ate a lot of it growing up, one of the first things I learned to cook was instant ramen, there always seemed if nothing else, a pack of ramen would be lying around. I also love Thai tom yum soup, and one of my friends requested a recipe for it. I actually have never made it, but after a fun trip to the Asian market by my house I got all the ingredients I needed and it was super easy to make. You of course don’t need to add the noodles, when I eat Tom Yum at restaurants it is usually served with some steamed rice, so of course if you want you can sub that or not….this again is a guideline to inspire your own individualized creations. All I can say is this was super tasty, easy, and as long as you can read and get to an Asian market, can be easily recreated at home!
You will need for 2-3 servings:
4 Cups water
1 Tbsp instant Tom yum paste, I got a Thai import that was amazing and only $1.69 for a jar that stays well in the refrigerator whenever you need it. Most pastes consist of shallots, lemon grass, kaffir lime leaves, chilies, and dried shrimp paste, you can easily find the vegetarian version if you want to this to be vegan.
½ brick medium firm tofu, cut up into large bites
2 green onions, sliced, green part set aside
¼ Cup bamboo shoots, my market has fresh ones for $1.39 a lb you can of course use canned, or leave them out completely if you no likey.
A handful of canned straw mushrooms, I got unpeeled ones, they were super tasty!
A handful of canned baby corn, sliced
3 or 4 fresh shitake mushrooms, woody stems removed
Two packages ramen, discard seasoning or save it for a rainy day….or whatever.
A handful of cherry tomatoes cut in half, or use a regular tomato, the ripest and tastiest I could find were cherry
Cilantro, enoki mushrooms (optional) and lime to garnish
Method:
In a medium sauce pan boil your water, paste, shitake, white parts of onion, when boiling add tofu, add two bricks of ramen, cook 2 minutes or so. Distribute the noodles and goodies evenly between two or three bowls depending on how much you can snarf down in a sitting. Serve with cilantro maybe some enoki mushrooms (I love them, you can cook them a bit if you want or leave them out completely), and some lime wedges. Seriously SOOOOO TASTY! Be ready for a spicy good time, and of course you can adjust the amount of Tom Yum paste to suit your individual palate. Thanks Dave for reminding me of the awesomeness that is instant ramen and Courtney for the idea.
[pinny url=”http://74.48.178.175/2013/10/13/tofu-tom-yum-my-ramen/” media=” http://74.48.178.175/2013/10/13/tofu-tom-yum-my-ramen/” description=”Tofu Tom Yum with Ramen”]
No cream, Cream of mushroom soup
I love cream soups, I really do, but I don’t love the high fat content, and calories associated with this comfort classic. I love mushrooms as well, and found them to be quite underutilized as a main dish in Western cuisine. I have made many cream of mushroom soups in my day, but this one has got to be the show stopper! Completely plant based, with minimal sodium, you wouldn’t think it would taste as truly decadent and creamy as it does. My secret? Cannellini beans and cauliflower! This easy soup will have even the most plant based skeptic asking for seconds, and you know what? You can have seconds of this soup and not have to worry about your waistline.
Our ingredients:
1 can cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
8 ounces cremini or button mushrooms, with a handful reserved for garnish
½ medium onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, smashed
1 tsp. ground black pepper
1 oz. dried porcini
2 tbsp. reduced sodium tamari or bragg’s liquid aminos
In a medium sauce pan combine all ingredients (except mushrooms for garnish, we will get to those in a sec) cover with water, bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium low, let simmer while you prepare your other ingredients.
½ head of cauliflower florets
Place cauliflower florets in a small sauce pan, cover with water, steam 10 minutes, set aside.
For the rest of your mushrooms, place a tsp. of camelina oil (amazing raw oil, rich in omega 3’s, if you can’t find that you can use olive oil) in a sauté pan over medium high heat, sauté until golden, set aside.
Note: never salt mushrooms before you sauté them, it will release all their water and they will never brown, but rather wilt.
Take your mushroom soup and blend to desired consistency, I like very smooth, the beans add an amazing velvety texture. I used an immersion blender for convenience, keep soup warm.
Do the same blend on the cauliflower adding more water if too thick, you want a creamy, gravy like texture, add a drop or two of truffle oil, if you really want to up the decadence, a drop or two is all it takes and provides amazing aroma. Leave this out if you want…..but it really elevates the dish.
Pour mushroom soup into four bowls, spoon your cauliflower puree on top, garnish with sautéed mushroom and a little parsley, you can adjust your own level of salt, I am trying to cut out any extra. Bellisimo! If you feel the presentation is too fussy, just add the cauliflower to your mushroom soup at the start and blend all together….I however, personally live for fussy presentation…haha!
