Spicy Peanut Chili Crisp Ramen Noodle Soup
A spicy, creamy ramen noodle soup made with a coconut peanut broth, Thai red curry paste, chili crisp, and crispy tofu marinated in Thai BBQ sauce. Ready in about 30 minutes for an easy, satisfying dinner.
Servings 6 servings
Ingredients
Tofu:
- 1 tablespoon olive or avocado oil
- 8 ounces super firm tofu , grated on the large holes of a shredder
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1/4 cup Thai BBQ sauce (I used Kinder’s brand, or try Bachan Japanese BBQ sauce)
Soup Base:
- 3 tablespoons Thai red curry paste
- 1 tablespoon ginger paste
- 1 tablespoon garlic paste
- 3 cups low-sodium chicken broth
- 1 can unsweetened whole-fat coconut milk, well-shaken (about 14 oz)
- 1 tablespoon reduced-sodium soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon chili crisp
- 4 tablespoons natural peanut butter
Ramen:
- 9 ounces ramen noodles
Suggested Toppings:
- Minced cilantro
- Sliced green onions
- Jammy egg , one per bowl, sliced in half
- Chili crisp
- Roasted peanuts
- Toasted sesame seeds
Instructions
Crisp the tofu:
- Heat the oil in a 4 to 5-quart soup pot or Dutch oven over medium-high until the oil shimmers.
- Toss the shredded tofu with the cornstarch and add to the hot oil, spreading it out in a single layer. Let the tofu sizzle for a bit, until it releases easily with a spatula. Flip sections of the tofu to the other side and cook for a few minutes more. Once the initial crisping has started, you can move the shreds around the pot to cook all sides. Be patient. It will take about 15 minutes for the tofu to reach the desired doneness — golden and very firm, lightly crispy.
- Pour the BBQ sauce over the tofu and stir, letting the heat of the pot caramelize the sauce's sugars. Transfer the tofu to a plate.
Make the soup base:
- In the same pot, stir in the Thai red curry paste, ginger paste, and garlic paste, mixing well.
- Pour in the chicken broth, coconut milk, and soy sauce, and increase the heat to high to bring the soup to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low to maintain a light simmer (barely bubbling).
- Stir in the chili crisp. The chili oil will look broken at this point; that's okay. It won't for long, once the peanut butter and noodles are mixed in.
- Spoon the peanut butter into a small bowl or ramekin and add several tablespoons of the hot soup. Stir until completely creamy and then add to the soup.
Cook the ramen noodles:
- Open the ramen noodle packages and discard any seasoning packets. Bring a pot of water to boil and cook the noodles according to the packaging directions. Drain completely.
Finish the soup:
- Add the cooked ramen noodles to the soup, stirring well. You can add all of the tofu back to the soup at once, or keep it on the side and let your guests spoon the tofu over the top of the soup. Serve with your preferred toppings.
Notes
This is entirely personal preference, but I usually break the blocks of dried ramen noodles into quarters or eighths before cooking them, so the noodles are shorter and fit better on a spoon. Of course, you can also use chopsticks with a Chinese soup spoon to consume this noodley soup!
The shredded tofu can also be air-fried for a crispier result. Preheat and cook at 380ºF for about 15 minutes, shaking the basket every few minutes and keeping an eye on things to prevent burning.