Ingredients

• 2 garlic cloves
• thumb-sized piece ginger, sliced, plus a few slices cut into fine matchsticks to serve (optional)
• 1½ tbsp white miso paste
• 1 tbsp neri goma (white sesame paste) or tahini
• 15g dried shiitake mushrooms
• 1l good-quality vegan stock
• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• 200g firm tofu, cut into chunky cubes
• 1 tbsp cornflour
• 1 tbsp veg or sunflower oil
• 100g (2 x nests) ramen or rice noodles
• 1 head pak choi, quartered
• 2 spring onions, finely sliced, white and green parts kept separate
• 25g ready-to-eat beansprouts
• 1 carrot, peeled and cut into fine matchsticks
• sesame oil, sriracha, chopped coriander, crushed peanuts, crumbled sheets of nori or dried chilli threads (silgochu), to serve (optional)

Method

STEP 1

Crush the garlic with the back of a big knife, then put it in a saucepan with the ginger, miso, neri goma, mushrooms, stock and soy. Bring to a gentle simmer, cover and bubble for 5 mins until the ginger is soft. Strain into a clean pan and discard everything left in the strainer.

STEP 2

Meanwhile, cook the tofu. Toss it in the cornflour and heat the oil in a frying pan. Fry for a few mins on each side, being careful as you turn it that it doesn’t fall apart. Cook the noodles for 1 min less than pack instructions, so they retain a little bite. Drain and leave in the pan with a little cooking water so they don’t stick together.

STEP 3

Add the pack choi and whites of the spring onions to the broth and gently reheat for 1-2 mins until the greens have just wilted.

STEP 4

Divide the noodles between two deep bowls, ladle over the broth and veg. Top with the tofu, beansprouts, carrot and ginger matchsticks, green parts of the spring onions and a drizzle of sesame oil, plus the other toppings, if you like.