Description
This easy saucy ramen noodles recipe is a quick and flavorful dish featuring chewy noodles coated in a savory, tangy, and slightly spicy sauce. Enhanced with tofu or your favorite veggies, this stir-fried noodle dish offers a perfect balance of sweet, sour, salty, and umami flavors, topped with sesame seeds and fresh scallions for extra aroma and texture.
Ingredients
Scale
Noodles and Protein
- 2 servings dry instant ramen noodle cakes (or other noodles of choice, around 140 g total)
- 10 oz extra firm tofu, veggies, or mushrooms of choice, sliced
Sauce
- 1 cup water (or vegetable broth, see notes)
- 5-7 tbsp soy sauce (adjust according to desired taste)
- 1.5 tsp dark soy sauce (optional for colour)
- 2-3 tbsp corn starch (see notes)
- 1-3 tbsp sugar, maple syrup, or other liquid sweetener (adjust according to desired sweetness)
- 2 tbsp rice vinegar, white vinegar, or lemon juice (adjust according to desired sourness)
- 1/4 tsp ground pepper
- 1/2 tbsp chili garlic sauce
- 1 tbsp sesame oil
- 2 cloves garlic, minced (optional)
Garnish
- Chopped scallions
- Sesame seeds
Instructions
- Prepare the sauce: Mix all the sauce ingredients thoroughly until well incorporated. Adjust measurements to your desired balance of sweetness, saltiness, sourness, and spice. Set aside. For larger portions with more veggies and noodles, consider doubling the sauce recipe to ensure sauciness.
- Boil noodles: Bring water to a boil in a small pot over high heat. Add the ramen or noodles of choice.
- Half-cook noodles: Cook noodles for 2-3 minutes less than package instructions, so they remain chewy and won’t overcook later in the sauce.
- Drain noodles: Strain the noodles and set aside. Optionally, rinse under cold water to halt cooking and remove excess starch.
- Sauté protein and veggies: While noodles cook, heat a pan over medium-high heat with a little oil. Sauté tofu, mushrooms, or veggies for a few minutes until cooked to your liking.
- Mix sauce again: Stir the sauce to redistribute cornstarch and prevent sticking, then pour it into the pan with the cooked veggies or tofu.
- Simmer sauce: Let the sauce simmer for 2-3 minutes over medium heat, stirring continuously, until it thickens from the starch.
- Add noodles: Incorporate the drained noodles into the pan.
- Coat noodles: Stir noodles thoroughly to coat them evenly with the thickened sauce.
- Cook noodles in sauce: Continue cooking over medium-high heat for about 3 minutes until noodles absorb some sauce and sauce remains thick.
- Adjust seasoning: Taste and add more soy sauce, sweetener, or pepper as desired to perfect flavor balance.
- Garnish and serve: Sprinkle chopped scallions and sesame seeds on top. Serve immediately while hot for best texture and flavor.
Notes
- You can substitute water in the sauce with vegetable broth for added depth of flavor.
- Adjust the amount of corn starch to control sauce thickness; less starch yields thinner sauce.
- Maple syrup or liquid sweeteners can be used instead of sugar for different sweetness profiles.
- For more vegetables or noodles, double the sauce ingredients to maintain proper sauciness.
- Cold rinsing the noodles after boiling stops overcooking and helps remove excess starch.
- Use dark soy sauce optionally to deepen the color of the sauce without altering flavor dramatically.
