Konjac (a.k.a. Konyakku) is a fairly new ingredient to me. A few months back I tried vegan seafood made from konjac powder, but I had no idea how many uses it had. The gluten-free noodles are sold in liquid-packed containers, and have the appearance of “knots.”  As for taste, the noodles basically absorb whatever broth you cook them in—they’re also available in most Asian supermarkets.

Also, I’d tried soups out at restaurants that had a sort of “sticky” texture to them but never quite figured out how they did it. After tweeking this recipe, the key is cornstarch. Mixing the water and cornstarch together as a thickener makes all the difference for this soup, I mean it.

You can experiment with different ingredients for this recipe. For example, I made two pots one week. The first batch is the one you’re seeing, and the second batch had mushrooms and pineapple in it. Both equally yummy (even though I have to admit, the pineapple was pretty damn good). To be honest, the photos for this post don’t do the soup justice. I got impatient and just wanted to eat, so you’ll have to excuse the “meh” quality this week! I adapted this recipe from Vegan Miam.

Ingredients

Serves 6

• 1 (200g) package of konjac noodles
• 2 tbsp. vegetable oil
• A few drops sesame oil
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tbsp. fresh ginger, minced
• 1 tsp. sriracha hot sauce
• 1/2 tsp. dried chili flakes
• 4 cups vegetable broth
• 1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
• 3 tbsp. rice wine vinegar
• 1/2 tsp. sesame oil
• 1 tbsp. soy sauce
• 3 tbsp. corn starch
• 2 cups baby bok choy, chopped
• 3/4 cup broccoli, chopped
• 1 carrot, finely grated
• 175g firm tofu, cut into small cubes and pressed between paper towel to drain excess liquid
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten
• Black sesame seeds to garnish

Method

Drain the package of konjac noodles, rinse in hot water for 15 seconds, then set aside.

In a large pot, heat vegetable and sesame oil over medium-high heat. Add garlic and ginger, just until aromas begin to rise (be careful not to burn the garlic—you have to keep a close eye). Add in hot sauce and chili flakes, then stir until well mixed.

Pour vegetable broth into pot and bring heat up to high. Add in black pepper, rice wine vinegar, sesame oil, and soy sauce, and stir until completely combined. In a small bowl or ramekin, stir together 1/2 cup of cold water with the corn starch; whisk until a smooth, thicker texture forms. Whisk mixture into the pot, making sure to avoid clumps.

Add in bok choy, broccoli, carrot and tofu. Allow the soup to simmer on high heat, uncovered, for 6-10 minutes until vegetables are tender. Bring soup to a strong boil, and slowly whisk in the beaten eggs. This should create a “web” effect on top of the soup.

Place 4-5 konjac noodles in the bottom of each serving bowl, and ladle soup over top. Serve hot garnished with black sesame seeds and store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.