Vegan Miso Ramen
Weeknight Ramen that happens to be vegan!
Ramen. In my book, there are a handful of things in life that are as comforting as a bowl of noodles.
Growing up, Ramen was an afternoon snack, a quick meal, or a bowl of soup that my mother would prepare when I not feeling well. At any time, a bowl of ramen noodles was always a good answer. As I grew up Ramen became popular and more common, not just the maruchan in the market. It was an interesting turn to see the RAMEN CRAZE, a dish that I had so many memories of was now considered "posh" and "cool". When I was younger, I was ecstatic about more ramen shops popping up, as I have gotten older I find that the balance of honoring tradition, authenticity, and a dish's story can at times be sparse, overshadowed, or forgotten. We can go into my thoughts about this another time :). Let's get into the cooking.
There is always a balance to honor the tradition and the history that a dish has, as well as making it accessible for all to make. This ramen recipe includes each area of a traditional ramen bowl, but made vegan. I have been on the hunt for a delicious vegan ramen bowl, I have found a few that I really enjoy but wanted to create vegan ramen that was just as flavorful to make at home, and wouldn't take hours to make.
My Vegan Miso Ramen is a dish that can be made on a weeknight, fill your comfort cup, and taste absolutely delicious. This recipe is approachable for all levels, and won't be lacking in flavor or authenticity!
SECTIONS OF RAMEN:
There is such complexity to Ramen when you look into the 5 sections that should be included in a ramen dish. These sections are...
1. Noodles
2. Broth
3. Tare (Seasoning)
4. Toppings
5. Oil
Serves 2-3
Prep Time: 45 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes
Total Time: 1 hr + 10 mins
INGREDIENTS:
1-2 packages of Ramen Noodles (fresh is preferred but dried works!)
2-3 Soft Boiled Eggs**
1 package Extra Firm Tofu, drained and pressed.
Green Scallions, thinly sliced
Corn kernels, cooked and at room temperature
1 Shallot
2 cups fresh spinach
4 oz Oyster mushrooms or Maitake mushrooms (really any mushroom works!)
Nori (seaweed) sheets
2 ½ Tbsp. White Miso paste
2 Tbsp Soy Sauce
1 Tbsp Sake
1 Tbsp Toasted White sesame seeds (or sub. 1 Tbsp tahini)
1 tsp Sesame Seed Oil
1 tsp Fermented Chili bean Sauce (optional, or sub with sambal oelek)
½ Tbsp Rice Vinegar
½ tsp white pepper (black pepper as a substitute)
Optional/Other topping options:
Fried garlic
Chashu pork
Thinly sliced green cabbage
Hot chili oil
Shallot oil or garlic oil (Oil for ramen broth)
Baby corn
Fishcake
Bamboo shoots
MISO BROTH:
Ramen Broth: Below are different options for the broth. I have included homemade dashi (broth), and also a quicky version (because we all need that.)
Homemade Vegetable Dashi-Broth:
4-5 dried shiitake mushrooms (fresh works, dried preferred)
3"x3" Kombu (dried seaweed specifically for soup, can be found in any Asian market in the seaweed section. It is a thicker piece of seaweed that is not the sushi nori (seaweed).)
4" daikon radish
1/2 White onion
4 C water
1 tsp soy sauce
½ tsp salt
-Bring all ingredients to a boil and boil for 30-45 minutes.
Quicky Vegetable Dashi:
1 packet Japanese dashi broth or Vegetable bouillon (Japanese dashi packets can also be found in an Asian market and have a variety of bonito-dried fish, kombu, and shiitake. If you are vegetarian make sure to only buy the Kombu dashi packet.)
4-5 shiitake mushrooms
1/2 white onion
4 C water
1 tsp soy sauce
1 tsp salt
-Bring all ingredients to a boil and boil for 20 minutes.
TARE:
In a food processor, blender, or mortar and pestle. Grind toasted sesame seeds. Add to a small bowl, and add the miso paste, sesame seed oil, rice vinegar, sake, fermented chili bean, and white pepper. Cover and set aside.
TOPPINGS:
-Soft Boiled Egg**
Bring a small pot filled with enough water to cover eggs to boil. When boiling, gently add 2-3 eggs. Set a timer for 6.5 minutes. Set a small bowl with ice and water aside. At the end of time, remove eggs and place in an ice bath for 10 minutes. Remove from the ice bath and allow eggs to come to room temp. Peel, cut in half and serve immediately.
The soft boiled eggs can also be made ahead of time and be stored for 2-3 days.
-Crispy Shallots
Remove peel from the shallot and cut shallot into very thin and even slices, cutting against the grain. Bring a small pot with 1 C. oil to medium heat. Place shallots in heated oil, and stir. Let shallots cook for 20-25 minutes until shallots have turned a rich golden brown. Remove from heat and drain shallots.
If prepping ahead, store shallots in an air-locked container, lined with a paper towel. (SAVE THIS OIL!! This oil you can top your Ramen off with and make it extra delicious!)
-Steamed Spinach
Bring a small pot of water to boil. Season with 1 tsp of salt. Place 2 cups of spinach in boiling water for 30 seconds until wilted. Remove from water, and set in an ice bath. Remove from the ice bath and squeeze out the remaining water. Place in a bowl and season with 1 tsp of sesame seed oil.
-Crispy Mushrooms
Slice mushrooms or very rough chop mushrooms. Heat a small skillet to medium-high heat and add 2 Tbsp of oil to the pan. Allow the oil to heat up. Add mushrooms to the pan, allow mushrooms to sear, and become crispy. Remove from heat and add 1 tsp of soy sauce, 1 tsp of sake, 1 tsp sugar. Toss mushrooms in the sauce. Remove from heat and set aside.
-Seared Tofu
Bring a medium-sized pan to medium heat. Add 2 Tbsp of oil. Cut tofu into 5-6 slices.
Sprinkle a pinch of salt on each side of the tofu. Add the tofu to the pan, and sear for 3-4 minutes on each side, or golden. At the last 1 minute, add 1 tsp of soy sauce to the pan over tofu.
ASSEMBLY:
Bring a pot of water to boil. As water comes to a bowl, prepare ramen bowls with 1 Tbsp of Tare.
Boil ramen noodles for as long as instructions on the package say. For fresh noodles it should be only 3-4 minutes, dried noodles will take 7-8 minutes.
Fill the ramen bowl with boiling hot ramen broth. Place noodles into each bowl, and top with preferred toppings. My favorites are tofu, crispy shallots, a soft egg, and lots of green onions.
To add that extra bit of flavor, add a drizzle of hot chili oil, shallot oil (if you made crispy shallots), or garlic oil.
Serve and Enjoy!
