vegetable ramen stir fry with Crispy tofu

Quick and easy way to eat leftover vegetables

Perfect use of Vegetables

I try to reduce food waste in my life, and one way to do this is by utilizing your leftovers to create new meals. This recipe is perfect to use leftovers, particularly vegetables before they turn, or the last little bit of something from a previous meal. There are plenty of different vegetables you can mix in this delicious ramen. Here are some I use often:

• kale
• bell peppers
• zucchini
• broccoli
• carrots
• brussel sprouts
• cauliflower

Another way to reduce waste is using the whole vegetable. For example, I like cutting the stalk of broccoli in a similar way as carrots. This gets me more vegetables, but also uses more of the broccoli.

TIPS

PRESS YOUR TOFU: The secret to getting crispy tofu is pressing your tofu before tossing it in cornstarch. Wrap your tofu in a tea cloth, or place paper towels on either side of the tofu brick. Place a heavy object, like a cast iron skillet, on top. Let sit for 15 minutes, flip tofu block and repeat.

CUT VEGETABLES ACCORDINGLY: In order to get the perfect bite, you should cut your vegetables in a very specific way.

• Kale, chard, and other leafy greens: Cut into long ribbons. It’s up to you if you want to keep the ribs. but I remove them and cut the leaves into long thin strips.
• Broccoli florets: cut florets into bite-size pieces, something you can grab with a fork or chopsticks.
• carrots and zucchini: These should be cut into long thin strips. like a julienne cut

STICKY CRISPY TOFU: If you want to coat your tofu in a sauce like the picture above follow these steps:

1. Double the soy sauce mixture listed below. You do not need to add additional ramen seasoning.
2. reserve half of the soy sauce mixture, for the tofu.
3. Thicken the reserved soy sauce mixture in a separate skillet, or off to one side of the wok. If the sauce is not thickening, mix 1/4 cup of water and 1 teaspoon of cornstarch. Add to mixture
4. When sauce begins to thicken, turn to a simmer. Toss cooked crispy tofu into sauce. Evenly coat tofu in sauce, moving around with a rubber spatula.

ramen stir fry with Crispy Tofu

Preparation Time: 20 minutes | Cook Time: 30 minutes | Serving: 4-6 people

Gather

Ramen stir fry

• 2 packages of Instant Ramen and all the contents inside
•  2 eggs (optional)
• 1 medium onion,  cut into strips 
• Vegetables – I’ll be using 1 broccoli stalk and 2 medium carrots. **Use whatever vegetables you have in your fridge, 
• 5 cloves of garlic, chopped 
• 1 tablespoon of minced ginger 
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce 
• 2 tablespoons chili crunch (or red pepper flakes) adjust for spice level
•  1 teaspoon garlic powder 
• 2 teaspoons onion powder
• juice from ½ lime 
• Salt and Pepper 

Crispy Tofu

• 1 package extra Firm Tofu, pressed (see tips)
• 2 tablespoons of cornstarch
• 2 tablespoons toasted sesame seed oil (or any neutral oil)
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder 
• 2 teaspoon of chili crunch (optional, but gives the tofu a little kick) 
• Salt and pepper to taste 

follow

Prepare tofu

1. I bake my tofu, for ease and maximum crunch. To achieve this pressing your tofu before cooking is highly recommended. See tips for instructions
2. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
3. Once Tofu is pressed, cut into bite-size cubes. The smaller you cut them the shorter amount of time it will take to crisp up.
4. In a large bowl, mix soy sauce, oil, garlic powder, and chili crunch.
5. Add cubed tofu to the soy mixture and gently toss with a rubber spatula. Be sure to coat the tofu evenly. If there seems to be excess liquid pour some out.
6. Sprinkle tofu with cornstarch a little at a time, and coat the tofu evenly. Place cubes on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake 30-35 minutes flipping tofu halfway through.

Ramen StirFry

1. Preparing vegetables: When preparing vegetables for stir fry, how you cut the vegetables if very important. Look at tips for best practices
2. Cut the vegetables you’ll be using for your stirfry and set them aside. Heat a large skillet or wok on medium-high heat with neutral oil. If using eggs, scramble and fry in wok with 1 teaspoon of oil. remove egg and add 1 tablespoons of oil before continuing.
3. Add Brocolli and carrots (or other veggies), cook for about 4mins; or until broccoli starts to become a vibrant green.
4. Add onion and broccoli stalks (if using) and another 1tbsp of oil. Then add garlic and ginger.  Reduce heat to medium.
5. Season mixture generously with salt and pepper. Cook another 4 minutes. 
6. In small bowl, mix soy sauce, garlic powder, onion powder, chili crunch, lime juice and ramen seasoning packet. If your instant ramen package comes with oil, you can either add it here, or use it to finish the completed dish. Set aside. This mixture may appear thick, that’s ok! We’ll thin it out later.
7. Cook ramen noodles in boiling water for 1min (or as the package suggests)
8. Add 3tbsp of the hot water to the ramen seasoning soy sauce mixture. Add noodles, cookies eggs (if used), and soy sauce mixture to wok, mix until noodles and vegetables are coated.
9. Cook for another 2 minutes. Add more chili crunch, hot sauce or red pepper flakes for additional spice. Enjoy!