Vegetarian Ramen

Start by draining the water from the tofu and pressing it in a rag between a plate and a heavy pan or stack of plates. Press for 30 minutes or up to 6 hours before using.
In the meantime, heat one of the tablespoons of the sesame oil and the olive oil in a medium-size soup pot over medium heat. Add the ginger, garlic and serrano and cook for about three minutes or until the garlic and ginger become fragrant. In the meantime, mix the chili paste, soy sauce, hoisin sauce, and salt together in a bowl. Then, pour the vegetable broth into the pan and stir in the bowl of sauces. Mix thoroughly and bring it to a boil. Reduce the heat and let simmer for twenty minutes.
While the broth is boiling, julienned the carrots and heat a large frying pan over medium heat. Pour in one tablespoon of the sesame oil and heat. Add in the carrots and cook until tender. Add a dash of salt and pepper and remove the carrots from the pan.
Cut the tofu into thin slices and fry it in the remaining sesame oil. Let fry for three minutes on each side or until they reach your desired crispiness. Sprinkle a bit of salt and pepper over the pieces and remove them from the pan. Let drain over a plate with a paper towel on it.
Cook the pasta according to the directions on your box and remove it from the water immediately. Rinse it with cold water until all of the pasta has cooled to remove starch and keep the pasta from getting sticky.
Set out all of the ingredients and assemble the bowls by adding some pasta, pouring in some broth, adding two to three pieces of tofu, a spoonful of carrots, and sprinkling in some jalapeños, cashews, and green onions to the top of the soup.
Serve immediately.

Ingredients

Instructions