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Tomato Shio Ramen

A light, flavorful ramen made with a tomato broth, tomato oil, and shio tare (Japanese seasoning sauce), then topped with pan-fried tofu, roasted tomato halves, green onions, daikon radish sprouts, and toasted sesame seeds.

Servings 4
Author Rachael Hutchings,

Ingredients

Tomato Oil Ingredients (make the day before)

  • 1 cup plum tomatoes (cherry or grape tomatoes are fabulous as well)
  • 2 cloves garlic, cut in half lengthwise
  • 1 cup avocado oil
  • 1 pinch crushed red pepper flakes (or more, if you like heat!)
  • fine grain sea salt, to taste

Shio Tare Ingredients (start the day before)

  • 1 piece (1"x3") kombu
  • 1 dried shiitake mushroom
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 1 tablespoon fine grain sea salt
  • 1 teaspoon mirin
  • 1/2 cup tomato dashi

Tomato Broth Ingredients

  • 4 packs UMAMI dashi tomato (from On The Umami)
  • 6 1/2 cups water

Pan-fried Tofu Ingredients

  • 8 ounces super firm tofu, cut into 1/2-inch thick slices
  • fine grain sea salt

Roasted Tomato Ingredients

  • 2 kumamoto tomatoes (or other tomato variety of choice), cut in half
  • 1/2 teaspoon fine grain sea salt

Ramen Ingredients

  • 12 ounces dried (or 18 ounces fresh) ramen noodles
  • 4 pinches ground white pepper
  • 1/4 cup thinly sliced green onions
  • Kaiware (daikon radish sprouts), a few per bowl
  • 1/4 cup toasted white sesame seeds
  • Tomato oil
  • Shio tare
  • Tomato broth
  • Pan-fried tofu
  • Charred tomatoes

Instructions

Make the tomato oil (make the day before):

  1. Preheat the broiler on high.

  2. Place the tomatoes and garlic on a foil-lined (or silicone mat-lined) rimmed baking sheet.

  3. Roast the tomatoes, turning as needed, until the skins are charred and blistered, about 6 to 8 minutes.

  4. Transfer the tomatoes, garlic, and any juices directly into the bowl of a food processor.

  5. Add the crushed red pepper flakes and a pinch of sea salt, then drizzle the avocado oil over everything.

  6. Pulse the mixture until a chunky puree forms, then allow the tomato oil to sit in the food processor for 60 minutes so that the flavors can infuse the oil.

  7. After 60 minutes, pulse the oil once or twice to mix it slightly. Then taste the oil and add additional sea salt to taste.

  8. Transfer the tomato oil to an airtight container and store it in the refrigerator for up to 10 days.

Make the shio tare (start the day before):

  1. The night before you make the ramen, put the kombu, dried shiitake mushroom, and 1/2 cup water into a lidded glass jar (or other container you can seal), and put it in the refrigerator to steep overnight.

  2. Sometime after putting the jar in the fridge, but before the next step, make the tomato broth.

  3. The next day, pour the contents of the jar into a small saucepan over medium heat. Just as bubbles are starting to break on the surface of the liquid, remove the piece of kombu and shiitake mushroom.

  4. Maintain the heat and bring the liquid to a simmer. Add the salt and stir until it has dissolved, then stir in the mirin.

  5. Remove the saucepan from the heat and stir in 1/2 cup of the tomato dashi you made earlier.

Make the tomato broth:

  1. Pour the water into a pot, then add the UMAMI dashi tomato packs and swirl them around in the water about 5 times.

  2. Bring the water to a boil over medium heat. Reduce the heat slightly and let it simmer for 5 minutes.

  3. Remove the packs, making sure to set 1 aside, squeezing out the excess liquid into the pot. With the pack that you saved, cut it open and add the contents of the pack to the tomato broth in the pot, then stir the broth to combine.

Make the pan-fried tofu:

  1. Pat the slices of tofu lightly with a kitchen towel (or paper towel), then sprinkle each side with a pinch of fine grain sea salt. You could also add any seasoning you like.

  2. Heat a cast iron grill pan (or a regular pan if you don't have one). Brush the pan with a bit of oil. Turn the heat to medium-high, then put the tofu slices in the pan.

  3. Allow the tofu slices to cook on each side until you see that the pieces are getting a light golden color and nice grill lines (if using a grill pan), about 2 -- 3 minutes. Then flip the pieces on the other side and cook until they have the same light golden color and grill lines.

  4. Remove the tofu slices from the pan and set them aside until you are ready to assemble the ramen.

Make the roasted tomatoes:

  1. Preheat the broiler on high.

  2. Place the tomato halves, on a foil-lined (or silicone baking met-lined) rimmed baking sheet.

  3. Sprinkle each tomato half with a bit of sea salt.

  4. Cook the tomatoes in the oven until the edges of the tomatoes start to char slightly, then remove them from the oven and set them aside to cool.

Cook the ramen noodles:

  1. Right before you are ready to assemble a bowl of ramen, cook the noodles according to the package directions, but removing them from the boiling water while they are still al dente to put straight into each bowl.

How to assemble tomato shio ramen:

  1. Reheat the tomato broth until it has come to a simmer and get a pot of water boiling to cook the ramen noodles.

  2. What you will need for 1 bowl of tomato shio ramen:

    2 tablespoons shio tare, plus additional shio tare as desired

    1 tablespoon tomato oil

    Pinch of ground white pepper

    1 1/2 cups tomato broth

    1/4 of the cooked ramen noodles (or cook 1/4 of the noodles at a time to assemble one bowl at a time)

    2 -- 3 slices of pan-fried tofu

    1 roasted tomato half

    1 tablespoon thinly sliced green onions

    A few daikon radish sprouts

    1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds

  3. To assemble 1 bowl of ramen:

    -Put 2 tablespoons of shio tare, 1 tablespoon of tomato oil, and a pinch of ground white pepper in a bowl.

    -Add 1 1/2 cups of simmering tomato broth. Quickly taste and add additional shio tare as desired.

    -Add 1/4 of the cooked ramen noodles to the broth and swirl slightly to coat them in the broth.

    -Working quickly, top the ramen with 2 -- 3 slices of the pan-fried tofu, a roasted tomato half, 1 tablespoon of thinly sliced green onions, a few daikon radish sprouts, and 1 tablespoon of toasted sesame seeds.

    -Eat immediately!