Description
This Easy Saucy Ramen Noodles recipe features chewy noodles coated in a flavorful, thickened soy-based sauce with your choice of tofu, mushrooms, or vegetables. Perfect for a quick and satisfying meal, it balances savory, sweet, sour, and spicy elements for a deliciously versatile dish.
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
- 5-7 tbsp soy sauce (adjust according to taste)
- 1.5 tsp dark soy sauce (optional, for color)
- 2-3 tbsp corn starch
- 1-3 tbsp sugar, maple syrup, or other liquid sweetener (adjust for sweetness)
- 2 tbsp rice vinegar, white vinegar, or lemon juice (adjust for sourness)
- 1/4 tsp ground pepper
- 1/2 tbsp chili garlic sauce or other hot sauce (optional, for spice)
- 1 tbsp sesame oil
- 2 cloves garlic, minced (optional)
Toppings
- Chopped scallions, for topping
- Sesame seeds, for topping
Instructions
- Prepare Sauce: In a bowl, combine water or broth, soy sauce, dark soy sauce (if using), corn starch, sweetener, vinegar or lemon juice, ground pepper, chili garlic sauce (if desired), sesame oil, and minced garlic until well incorporated. Adjust measurements for sweetness, saltiness, sourness, or spice to your liking. Set aside.
- Cook Noodles: Bring water to a boil in a small pot over high heat. Add the ramen or chosen noodles and cook them for 2-3 minutes less than the package instructions to keep them chewy and slightly undercooked. Drain or strain noodles and optionally rinse under cold water to halt cooking and remove excess starch. Set aside.
- Sauté Protein or Veggies: While the noodles are cooking, heat a pan over medium-high heat and add a little oil. Sauté sliced tofu, mushrooms, or vegetables until cooked through to your liking.
- Simmer Sauce: Stir the sauce mixture again to redistribute the cornstarch. Pour the sauce into the pan with the cooked protein or veggies and let it simmer over medium heat, stirring frequently, for 2-3 minutes until the sauce thickens.
- Combine Noodles and Sauce: Add the drained noodles to the pan with the thickened sauce. Mix thoroughly to coat the noodles evenly with the sauce.
- Finish Cooking: Continue cooking the noodles and sauce together on medium-high heat for about 3 minutes, allowing the noodles to absorb some sauce and the sauce to thicken further.
- Adjust Seasoning and Serve: Taste and adjust seasoning by adding more soy sauce, sweetener, or pepper if needed. Serve the saucy ramen hot, garnished with sprinkled sesame seeds and chopped scallions.
Notes
- Adjust soy sauce and sweetener quantities based on your preferred saltiness and sweetness levels.
- Using dark soy sauce is optional but enhances color and depth of flavor.
- Rinsing noodles after cooking helps prevent stickiness but is optional depending on texture preference.
- Feel free to swap tofu with mushrooms or any vegetables you like for variation.
- Double the sauce ingredients if preparing more than two servings to ensure noodles are well coated.
