Smoked Tofu Collard Ramen
Southern food is built on poverty and patience, which is maybe why it produces some of the best flavors in American cooking. Pot likker is the classic example: the liquid left at the bottom of the pot after you've braised collard greens with smoked meat is technically just water and salt and whatever scraps went in, but what you end up with is this deeply savory, slightly bitter, acidic broth that tastes like someone's grandmother decided decades ago that waste wasn't an option and built an entire culinary tradition around it. This bowl takes that same spirit and replaces the smoked pork hock with smoked tofu, which sounds like a compromise right up until you get a proper crust on the tofu in a hot pan, and then it stops sounding like anything but dinner. The collard greens braise until they're completely tender and the broth turns dark and complex in a way that can't be rushed or faked. Liquid smoke is the ingredient that raises eyebrows until people taste the result, at which point the eyebrows go back down. Ramen noodles carry the pot likker broth in a way that thickens things just slightly and fills the bowl with something that genuinely earns its place at the table. This is soul food translated, not reduced.
Collard greens go soft—smoked tofu in pot liquor—south meets the noodle
Let Me Tell You...
Pot likker is one of those things that exists in the gap between food and medicine and isn't clearly either one.
The liquid that collard greens leave behind in a long braise is salty and tangy and a little bitter from the greens and it has this dark, mineral depth that I can only describe as deeply, specifically Southern in a way that doesn't quite translate to other cuisines.
Growing up eating collard greens meant growing up with the understanding that the liquid was the point just as much as the vegetable, and that throwing it away would be the kind of thing you'd feel vaguely guilty about for longer than was rational.
They need a full 15-20 minutes of actual braising to lose their bitterness and release their flavor into the broth.
Undercooked collards are tough and aggressive in exactly the wrong way.
Making this vegan required figuring out how to replace the smoky pork hock flavor that pot likker traditionally depends on, and liquid smoke, used carefully, is the most honest answer to that problem.
It looks like a conspiracy and smells like camping but a tablespoon of it in the broth takes the whole bowl from technically adequate to something that tastes like it has a history.
The smoked tofu gets pressed and marinated and then seared hard in the pan until it has a proper crust on most sides, which is the step most people skip and the one that makes the most difference between a bowl that's interesting and a bowl that's just fine.
Water is the enemy of a crust. Wet tofu steams in the pan instead of browning, and that is a different, significantly worse situation.
The fusion element here isn't just the ramen noodles, even though the noodles are what makes it a bowl rather than a side dish.
It's the fact that putting a Southern pot likker broth over Japanese noodles creates something that neither cuisine invented and both would recognize as good instinctively.
Japanese broths and Southern pot likker share a similar underlying philosophy: both are built from long cooking and humble ingredients and neither apologizes for taking the time that's required.
The apple cider vinegar at the end is the equivalent of the splash of pepper vinegar that shows up on Southern tables alongside greens, and it does the same job here of lifting and brightening the whole bowl without announcing itself.
Early vinegar gets cooked down and loses its punch.
Late vinegar stays sharp and does the lifting the broth needs.
This bowl doesn't claim to be authentic Southern cooking any more than it claims to be traditional ramen.
What it claims is that it tastes deeply good and deeply familiar in a way that borrows from two serious food traditions without shortchanging either.
Eat it on a cold night with hot sauce close by and decide for yourself whether it needs any more justification than that.
Ingredients
- 14 oz extra-firm tofu, pressed for at least 10 minutes and cut into 1-inch cubes
- 6 oz dried ramen noodles (2 bricks, seasoning packets discarded)
- 1 bunch collard greens (about 8 large leaves), stems removed and leaves torn into 2-inch pieces
- 4 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
- 1 medium yellow onion, thinly sliced
- 4 garlic cloves, smashed
- 1 tablespoon liquid smoke
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 2 tablespoons neutral oil (such as vegetable or avocado oil), divided
- 1 tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce (or tamari)
- 1 teaspoon brown sugar
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Preparation
- Press the tofu between layers of paper towels with a heavy pan or cast iron skillet on top for at least 10 minutes. Pat dry with fresh paper towels and cut into 1-inch cubes.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the soy sauce, liquid smoke, smoked paprika, onion powder, cayenne, and brown sugar. Add the tofu cubes and toss gently to coat. Let marinate for 5 minutes.
- Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the marinated tofu cubes in a single layer (work in batches if needed) and cook without moving for 3-4 minutes until deeply browned. Flip and cook 2-3 minutes more until most sides are golden and crispy. Remove and set aside.
- Reduce heat to medium. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil to the same pot. Add the sliced onion and smashed garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5-6 minutes until golden and softened.
- Add the vegetable broth, apple cider vinegar, and torn collard greens. Stir to combine, bring to a simmer, then reduce heat to medium-low. Cover and braise for 15-20 minutes until the collards are very tender and the broth is dark and deeply flavored. Taste and season with salt and pepper.
- Return the crispy tofu to the pot and simmer uncovered for 3 minutes to warm through.
- Bring a separate pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the ramen noodles for 2-3 minutes until just tender. Drain.
- Divide the noodles between bowls. Ladle the collard broth generously over the noodles, making sure to include plenty of greens and tofu in each serving. Serve immediately with any optional toppings alongside.