While I enjoy good food, I have a soft spot for fast foods such as frozen pizzas and instant ramen. They are not something I eat often, and I make sure to add something extra to them. I’ve posted before about the things I like to add to my instant ramen to give it an upgrade, and now I have a new favourite ingredient–gochujang! This sweet-salty, spicy paste makes a rich broth full of umami. I added fresh spinach and pieces of mild tofu. This Gochujang Ramen With Tofu is an easy and quick way to satisfy your noodle cravings!
What is GOCHUJANG?
Gochujang is a Korean chile paste made with rice, fermented soybeans and chile peppers. It reminds me a lot of the spicy version of miso. Because of its unique sweet-salty/spicy flavour and UMAMI flavour, Gochujang has gained popularity in the U.S. We’re all a bit over our obsession with Sriracha. We are always looking for it the next best thing. Fermented soybeans make gochujang stand out and give your dish that extra WOW factor. If you have not tried it, make sure to!
WHERE TO BUY GOCHUJANG
Gochujang is a very popular food, so you will likely find it in most grocery stores. There are 4-5 varieties at my local Kroger! This Sempio Gochujang is what I am using. You’re likely to find a great selection and better prices at an Asian grocery store close to you.
To USE OR NOT TO USE The RAMEN PACKET
My preference is to make my broth for ramen rather than using the seasoning packet included with the noodles. You can adjust the flavours and salt levels, but I prefer the flexibility of making my broth. You can use the flavour packet with instant ramen, but gochujang is quite salty. I recommend adding 3 cups of water to the soup first and then gradually adding some of the flavour packets until the broth is at the right salt level.
WHAT IS THE SIMPLICITY OF IT?
It is decently spicy, in my view. If you like it a little less spicy, you can reduce the amount of gochujang. You can also try these non-spicy ways of enhancing your ramen.
What should I do with my leftover TOFU?
This recipe makes half the traditional 14oz. Block of tofu. I would make half of my Curried tofu Salad as my first option for using the remaining block. This stuff is simply amazing. It can be used in a stir-fry or chopped up and added to a BBQ sauce to make a BBQ Tofu Slider.
GOCHUJANG RAMEN WITH TOFU
This instant ramen recipe is enhanced with spicy gochujang! Gochujang Ramen With Tofu is an easy and quick way to satisfy your noodle cravings.
Prep time: 5 minutes
Cooking Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 15 minutes
INGREDIENTS
- 7 oz. extra firm tofu ($0.90)
- 1 cup water (0.00)
- 2 cups vegetable broth* ($0.26)
- 2 Tbsp gochujang ($0.46)
- 1 package instant ramen* ($0.19)
- 2 cups fresh spinach ($0.25)
- 2 green onions (0.20)
INSTRUCTIONS
- Drain the tofu, and then cut it into cubes of 1/2 inch.
- Combine the water, vegetable broth, gochujang, and salt in a small saucepan. Mix until the gochujang has dissolved.
- Place the cubed tofu in a pot. Cover it with a lid and bring to a boil on high heat.
- Add the instant ramen noodles to the boiling water. Boil the instant ramen noodles for about one to two minutes or until they are softened and separate from each other.
- Stir in two tablespoons of fresh spinach (about 2 cups) and heat the broth. As the spinach starts to wilt, the noodles will continue cooking.
- Just before you serve, slice the green onions and sprinkle them over the top of the ramen.
NOTES
If you are using vegetable broth, throw out the packet with your ramen noodles. Use 3 cups water to replace 1 cup of water and 2 cups vegetable broth if you use the seasoning packet. The gochujang should be added to the water first. Next, add small amounts of the seasoning packet until the broth reaches the desired saltiness.
NUTRITION
Serving Size: 1 Calorie: 322.15 Kcal Carbohydrates are 37.55 G Protein: 15.9 G Fat: 12.6g Sodium is 1347.35mg Fiber: 3.1g
