Vegan Kake Udon (with Crispy Tofu Topping)
A comforting bowl of vegan kake udon with a light soy-dashi broth, bouncy noodles, and golden crispy tofu. Easy to make in under 30 minutes.
Servings: 2
Calories: 521kcal
Equipment
- Large saucepan – for simmering the broth
- Small frying pan – for shallow frying the tofu
- Slotted spoon or tongs – to lift the tofu out of the oil
- Chopping board and knife – for slicing tofu and spring onions
- Cooking chopsticks or tongs – handy for loosening the noodles as they cook
- Measuring cups and spoons – to get your broth balance just right
- Mixing bowl – for dusting the tofu in cornflour
- Colander or sieve – to drain and rinse noodles
- Ramen bowls – deep bowls to serve the udon
Ingredients
For the broth
- 400 g Fresh udon you can use dried udon just halve the quantity and cook accrding to packet instructions
- 750 ml vegan dashi either homemade or instant (for every 3 cups water use 2 teaspoon kombu dashi powder)
- 2 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon mirin
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1½ teaspoon sugar
For crispy tofu
- ¼ block extra or super firm tofu about 1-inch thick slab(s)
- 30 g cornflour
- Pinch of salt
- 125 ml Neutral cooking oil enough for ~2cm depth in a small frying pan
For the garnish
- 2 spring onions thinly sliced
- Pinch Shichimi togarashi Japanese seven spice, to taste
Instructions
- Bring 2 litres of water to a boil in a large pot for the noodles.
- In a separate saucepan, combine the vegan dashi, soy sauce, mirin, salt and sugar. Bring to a gentle simmer, stir until the sugar dissolves, then keep warm on low heat.
- Slice the spring onions into thin rounds and set aside.
- Cut a 1-inch thick slab from your tofu block and slice it diagonally into two triangles. Dust the tofu lightly with cornflour until coated on all sides.
- Heat 1–2 cm of neutral oil in a small frying pan until it reaches about 180°C. Fry the tofu until golden and crisp on both sides, then drain on a rack or paper towel. Sprinkle with salt while still hot.
- For fresh udon, add the noodles to the boiling water and gently tease them apart with chopsticks until loose and bouncy. For dried udon, cook until just shy of the package instructions, then drain and rinse under cold water to remove excess starch. Briefly reheat in hot water before serving.
- Divide the noodles between serving bowls, ladle over the hot broth, and top with crispy tofu. Garnish with spring onions and a sprinkle of shichimi togarashi if you like spice.
Video
Notes
For homemade dashi recipe see our vegan dashi recipe
Nutrition
Serving: 1 serve | Calories: 521kcal | Carbohydrates: 78g | Protein: 28g | Fat: 12g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Sodium: 3949mg | Potassium: 536mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 14g | Vitamin A: 136IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 168mg | Iron: 2mg
