JAPANESE TANTAN SOUP
A delicious vegan Japanese tantan soup with tahini, chili oil, veggie mince, and sautéed bok choy - almost like in Tokyo!
Recommended Equipment
Ingredients
For the "meat"
- 1 tablespoon ginger, roughly chopped
- 1 smoked tofu, roughly chopped
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon hon mirin
- 1 teaspoon shiro miso paste*
- 1 garlic clove, minced
for the soup:
- 500 ml water
- 2 tablespoons tahini
- 2 tablespoons peanut butter
- 2 tablespoons hon mirin
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon veggie broth powder
- 1 teaspoon paprika powder
- 100 ml unsweetened plant-based milk
- 1 tablespoon shiro miso paste*
for the other toppings:
- 200 g ramen noodles
- 2 mini bok choy washed, outer leaves removed, cut in halves
- 1 tablespoon sesame seeds
- 1 teaspoon chili oil
Instructions
- First, prepare all the ingredients and cooking utensils. Cooking is way more relaxed this way, and you won’t forget anything 🙂 This is especially important for this recipe, because the three components are prepared at the same time, so everything needs to be ready to go.
- Finely chop the ginger, then add it together with the smoked tofu to a food processor and pulse briefly. The tofu should not be too finely ground—it should still have some texture. If you don’t have a food processor, you can also grate the smoked tofu using a coarse cheese grater.
- Bring a pot of salted water to a boil for the noodles.
- Heat a bit of vegetable oil in a large pan, then sauté the tofu-ginger mixture over medium to high heat for about three minutes, stirring occasionally. Meanwhile, mix 1 tablespoon soy sauce, 1 tablespoon Hon Mirin, and 1 teaspoon miso in a medium bowl. This will be the sauce for the tofu. A small whisk works best for this.
- Peel and chop the garlic, add it to the pan with the tofu mixture, stir well, and reduce the heat. Continue to cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally.
- Meanwhile, bring 500 ml of water to a boil for the soup. I use an electric kettle for this, but you can also use a saucepan. Add 2 tablespoons tahini, 2 tablespoons peanut butter, 2 tablespoons Hon Mirin, 1 tablespoon soy sauce, 1 teaspoon vegetable broth powder, and 1 teaspoon paprika to a measuring jug or other large container (approx. 1 liter).
- Cook the noodles according to package instructions in the pot of boiling water.
- Add the tofu mixture to the medium bowl with the sauce, stir to combine, and set aside. Cover the bowl with a plate to keep it warm.
- Put the pan back on the stove, add a little more oil, and raise the heat slightly. Place the pak choi in the pan, cut-side down, and brown for about 2 minutes over medium to high heat.
- Pour the 500 ml of hot water into the container with the soup ingredients and stir well. Then add the plant milk and the shiro miso. Stir again thoroughly to dissolve the miso, using a whisk works best.
- Drain the noodles and divide them between two bowls. Pour the soup over the noodles (stir well one more time before serving), then add the tofu mixture and the pak choi. Garnish with chili oil and sesame seeds, and serve with chopsticks and a spoon.
Notes
In the original version, I prepared the "meat" with textured soy protein. For that, you'll need 75 g of textured soy protein and 240 ml (1 cup) of vegetable broth. Simply mix them, let them sit for a few minutes, and then add them to the pan instead of the tofu along with finely chopped ginger. You won't need a food processor for this variation.
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