So, you may have noticed my slight kimchi obsession – I always make sure to have a batch on the go (and can start to feel panicked when it’s running low!) Check out the recipe I use here! But if you haven’t got a jar of your own kimchi fermenting away, there are plenty of ready-made vegan kimchi brands to be found in health foods shops and supermarkets.
Sometimes though, people find it difficult to know how to incorporate it into their meals so I thought I’d share with you one of my most favourite ways of eating kimchi. It really is an easy dish which uses kimchi as the main flavour, paired with a few other simple ingredients.
This recipe is a really basic example of a regular go-to meal for me. It is a base recipe which can be tweaked however you please. I will often separately flash fry pulled oyster mushrooms and add them into the pan with the kimchi just before serving. Let your imagination go wild!
Kimchi Tofu with Noodles
Ingredients
- 3 tbsp kimchi
- 300 g firm tofu drained, pressed, and chopped
- 100 ml porcini mushroom stock soak dried mushrooms for approx. 10 minutes and use the liquid
- 200 g noodles
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tbsp sesame oil plus more for frying
- 2 tsp syrup agave, maple, etc.
- 4 sliced spring onions
- Seasoning
- 1 lime
Instructions
- Cook the noodles according to packet instructions, drain and rinse under cold water
- Mix the noodles in a bowl with the soy sauce, sesame oil and syrup and set aside until serving
- Roughly chop the kimchi and set aside 1 tbsp for serving fresh
- Heat up a splash of sesame oil in a frying pan and add in the 2 tbsp of kimchi
- Fry off the kimchi for about 5 minutes, until it starts to caramelise (if it starts to dry, top up with any of the kimchi water left from the mix)
- Add in the stock and the tofu, cook for approx. 10 minutes, until the tofu is spongy and the kimchi starts to congeal into a sauce (top up with more stock as necessary)
- Place the cold coated noodles in a bowl (if you prefer them hot, stick into the pan with the kimchi mix for the last minute)
- Top with the kimchi mix, season to taste and then dollop on the fresh kimchi and chopped spring onions
- Squeeze a little lime juice over to serve
Top Tip: if you have a little extra time to prepare for this dish, marinate the tofu in a simple marinade overnight. I like to use apple juice, soy sauce, lime juice and chilli
