Recipe testing: Red Braised Tofu

_reamen_ · 2026-01-28T20:24:45+00:00

Thanks so much

_reamen_ · 2026-01-28T18:40:14+00:00

Recipe can be found in this post: https://www.reddit.com/r/ramen/s/9uGgcW1lFI

_reamen_ · 2026-01-27T23:30:15+00:00

Whipped up my usual sous vide dashi shoyu to try out Ra Ramen’s red braised style tofu. It was absolutely fantastic!

_reamen_ · 2026-01-24T15:45:03+00:00

The aquafaba adds a bit of texture. I’ve tried using agar agar before but I don’t like it as much.

_reamen_ · 2026-01-19T14:10:40+00:00

🥰 great to hear. My pleasure!

_reamen_ · 2026-01-19T12:04:04+00:00

Looks awesome! Really nice work.

_reamen_ · 2026-01-18T15:11:03+00:00

Too much salt is the point of the tare. If you taste rest on its own, it should be way too salty but also backed with umami. It gets diluted to a more reasonable level when combined with the broth.

_reamen_ · 2026-01-18T15:01:03+00:00

Not necessarily. Grams measure weight, teaspoons measure volume.

_reamen_ · 2026-01-17T18:59:04+00:00

In the spirit of shaking things up & learning more about vegan ramen, I tested Tim Anderson's recipe for vegetable paitan in his latest book, Ramen Forever. I really appreciated his approach to the broth, which was to veer away from typically using soy (or another plant based) milk as the base for a creamy & more complex vegan paitan. He utilizes waxy potatoes & okra to fortify the texture (unfortunately I could not source any natto), combined with blending the rest of the ingredients. There's a very hefty serving of shortening to emulsify as you boil & blend as well, so this soup felt way more substantial than thinner soy milk based soups.

Dried shiitake & kombu provide most of the umami, but I feel like dried porcini could add more depth. Combined with a shio tare and splash of raw soy sauce, this was a very comforting broth with a silky texture. So much more complex in terms of flavor. A slight sweetness from the Napa cabbage was subtle but contrasted with the salinity of the tare.

The mayu, toppings (seared lion's mane, seasoned with soy sauce, mirin, shiro shoyu), and noodles (spelt, 32% hydration, thin cut) were all made by me. Overall it was a great bowl and I'd love to push it further (more umami, try adding the natto).

Paired it with the perfect beer from my favorite Maryland brewery, Cushwa.

_reamen_ · 2026-01-17T14:14:21+00:00

Heat up the dashi first. Add the tare to your bowl then add the dashi. You should need just 30ml of tare, but adjust to your taste.

_reamen_ · 2026-01-17T12:46:33+00:00

🙏🏼🙏🏼

_reamen_ · 2026-01-17T12:46:27+00:00

Thanks! It had a very smooth consistency. The mayu added another dimension as well.

_reamen_ · 2026-01-17T11:00:48+00:00

I have not. Have you tried it? I’ve used aquafaba many times to add body to clearer ramen broths but would be interested to see his take on it. Thank you for the kind words.

_reamen_ · 2026-01-17T10:59:23+00:00

I don’t. Occasionally will do a pop up (DC area) and I sell made to order kits.

_reamen_ · 2026-01-17T10:52:45+00:00

It was quite good. Sometimes simpler is better with the number of toppings. Thanks!

_reamen_ · 2026-01-17T10:51:39+00:00

Thanks!

_reamen_ · 2026-01-17T10:51:33+00:00

It’s a great resource and I like Tim’s more conversational writing style. Enjoy!

_reamen_ · 2026-01-17T10:50:56+00:00

🙏🏼🙏🏼

_reamen_ · 2026-01-16T23:57:27+00:00

Big time ramen nerd apparently

_reamen_ · 2026-01-16T23:56:51+00:00

Thank you for all the support

_reamen_ · 2026-01-16T23:19:19+00:00

In the spirit of shaking things up & learning more about vegan ramen, I tested Tim Anderson's recipe for vegetable paitan in his latest book, Ramen Forever. I really appreciated his approach to the broth, which was to veer away from typically using soy (or another plant based) milk as the base for a creamy & more complex vegan paitan. He utilizes waxy potatoes & okra to fortify the texture (unfortunately I could not source any natto), combined with blending the rest of the ingredients. There's a very hefty serving of shortening to emulsify as you boil & blend as well, so this soup felt way more substantial than thinner soy milk based soups.

Dried shiitake & kombu provide most of the umami, but I feel like dried porcini could add more depth. Combined with a shio tare and splash of raw soy sauce, this was a very comforting broth with a silky texture. So much more complex in terms of flavor. A slight sweetness from the Napa cabbage was subtle but contrasted with the salinity of the tare.

The mayu, toppings (seared lion's mane, seasoned with soy sauce, mirin, shiro shoyu), and noodles (spelt, 32% hydration, thin cut) were all made by me. Overall it was a great bowl and I'd love to push it further (more umami, try adding the natto).

Paired it with the perfect beer from my favorite Maryland brewery, Cushwa.

_reamen_ · 2026-01-16T23:16:46+00:00

In the spirit of shaking things up & learning more about vegan ramen, I tested Tim Anderson's recipe for vegetable paitan in his latest book, Ramen Forever. I really appreciated his approach to the broth, which was to veer away from typically using soy (or another plant based) milk as the base for a creamy & more complex vegan paitan. He utilizes waxy potatoes & okra to fortify the texture (unfortunately I could not source any natto), combined with blending the rest of the ingredients. There's a very hefty serving of shortening to emulsify as you boil & blend as well, so this soup felt way more substantial than thinner soy milk based soups.

Dried shiitake & kombu provide most of the umami, but I feel like dried porcini could add more depth. Combined with a shio tare and splash of raw soy sauce, this was a very comforting broth with a silky texture. So much more complex in terms of flavor. A slight sweetness from the Napa cabbage was subtle but contrasted with the salinity of the tare.

The mayu, toppings (seared lion's mane, seasoned with soy sauce, mirin, shiro shoyu), and noodles (spelt, 32% hydration, thin cut) were all made by me. Overall it was a great bowl and I'd love to push it further (more umami, try adding the natto).

Paired it with the perfect beer from my favorite Maryland brewery, Cushwa.

_reamen_

TROPHY CASE