The best fusion noodle dish with bold caribbean flavours paired with ramen noodles and jerk-spiced tofu for the ultimate quick meal!
The first time I ever tried ‘jerk’ anything was ay a fancy vegan restaurant in New York City – we had the jerk mac and cheese which was incredibly creamy, cheesy and super spicy. I then realised the ingredient that made my tongue burn were Scotch bonnet peppers! It was essential to jerk spiced dishes.
It also made me want to deep dive into the famous Jerk chicken that originates from Jamaica and involves a traditional cooking method that dates back to the indigenous Taino people. The technique involves marinating meat, typically chicken or pork, with a blend of spices and herbs, most famously jerk seasoning – which includes ingredients like allspice, thyme, garlic, and Scotch bonnet peppers.
The method of cooking jerk meat often involves smoking or grilling over pimento wood, which adds a distinctive smoky flavour. Historically, the dish was developed as a way to preserve meat in the tropical climate of Jamaica. Over the years, jerk chicken has become more prevalent and accessible in many European countries.
Unfortunately, Caribbean food and ingredients are not widespread, well-known or accessible in Singapore – and hence, I had to make slightly adjustments to my recipe. These Jerk spiced noodles are entirely vegan and we’ll be replacing the chicken with tofu!
Ingredients You Need
- vegan noodles of your choice – any noodles work for this recipe. I used air dried instant ramen.
- extra firm tofu – you can substitute this with any other plant based protein of your choice.
- aromatics – ginger, garlic, spring onions, scotch bonnet (if you can access it)
- seasoning – jerk seasoning, paprika, all spice, dried or fresh thyme, cayenne pepper (optional)
- sauce – jerk barbecue sauce (you can substitute this with sriracha or chili sauce)
Gluten free substitutions: Use a gluten free soy sauce and omit dark soy sauce. Ensure all purpose seasoning does not contain wheat flour. Use gluten free or rice noodles!
Allium free substitutions: Omit garlic paste and substitute with hing (asafoetida). Omit spring onions and substitute with chopped coriander. Ensure jerk barbecue sauce does not contain alliums.
Jerk ‘Chicken’ Tofu Noodle Stir Fry
Ingredients
- 300 g extra firm tofu
- 2 tsp jerk seasoning
- 2 tsp corn starch
- oily for frying
- 2 ramen cakes
- 1 tsp ginger paste
- 2 tsp garlic paste
- 1 scotch bonnet pepper
- 2 stalks spring onions
- 1.5 tsp jerk seasoning
- 2 tsp paprika
- 2 tsp all spice or all purpose seasoning
- 1 tsp dried thyme or 1 sprig fresh thyme
- 1 tbsp light soy sauce
- 1 tsp dark soy sauce
- salt
- black pepper
- 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
- 1/2 cup jerk bbq sauce
- noodle water
Garnish
- 2 tsp chili oil
- toasted sesame seeds
Instructions
- Cut extra firm tofu into pieces. Coat in jerk seasoning and corn starch.
- Preheat your stovetop skillet over medium-high heat. Pan fry in olive oil on all sides until crispy.
- In a pot, bring water to a boil and cook the noodles according to package instructions. Drain, save the noodle water and set aside.
- In a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add ginger and garlic paste. Saute for 1-2 minutes.
- Add dry spices and saute for a few minutes. Add minced scotch bonnet pepper if adding. Add soy sauces and jerk barbecue sauce.
- Add a splash of noodle water. Add back in the tofu, noodles and sliced spring onions (2cm long).Toss everything together until well combined and heated through.
- Garnish with toasted sesame seeds and chili oil. Enjoy!
