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Love is in my Tummy

Plant-based flavor

November 25, 2016 By Tina Dawson 17 Comments

Vegan Spicy Ramen Noodles

While the Japanese don’t really make Ramen at home (they eat out at their local Ramen restaurants), those of us without that option can now make a bowl of authentic Vegan Spicy Ramen Noodles wherever we are. 

The Ultimate comfort food, make sure this Vegan Spicy Ramen Noodles is in your winter arsenal. From start to finish, 45 mins is all you need.

The name ‘Ramen‘ has grown to becomes synonymous with the instant noodles that only need you to boil water to get a quick meal on the table. But authentic Ramen, which is a popular eat-out food in Japan, is made from scratch and is more sumptuous and nutritious than its internationally marketed instant kind.

If the only Ramen you’ve ever had has come with a flavour packet, then you’re in for a treat, my friend! I recently had a taste of authentic Ramen at the Jinya Ramen Express in LA and I’ve been hooked ever since. It’s now on top of my list of comfort foods, particularly on a cold day!

So naturally, when I came home and began craving it, I had to make myself a bowl – and make myself (and my husband) a bowl, I did! And you know what? With the right ingredients, it’s surprisingly easy and quick!

Umami is one of the 5 basic tastes in the Japanese culture, along with sweetness, sourness, bitterness, and saltiness. It’s usually described as ‘meatiness’ – because it’s a flavour usually found in fish and meat. While it’s the crux of a good Ramen broth, the same Umami flavour can be introduced into a Vegan broth, thanks to certain unique plant ingredients. Seaweed, mushroom and miso paste here does the job of bringing intense Umami-ness to a meatless-fishless broth!

Key Ingredients

Let’s start by looking at the ingredients (you don’t normally stock):

  1. Kombu (Kelp / Seaweed)

Kombu

Find these at your local Asian supermarket in ‘knots’ or strips – absolutely unappetizing to look at, the only description I can think of is greenish-black version of an Egyptian Mummy’s wrapping. It really looks like death, but the umami flavour is brings to the table is quite unique, so please try to find it.

2. Dried Shiitake Mushrooms

Dried Shiitake Mushroom Slices

Another contributor to the umami flavour. Not as hard to find, you should find them in grocery stores near you. If you can’t find dried ones, substitute with fresh ones.

3. Ramen noodles

Dried Ramen NoodlesI found aisles and aisles of just dry noodles (there are like a billion different varieties, people!) in my local Asian store. The problem is that most of the labels are in Chinese/Japanese, with very little English. So first, read through the ingredient list (that should normally be in English) – we’re looking for wheat flour, water and salt. Nothing else! There are flavoured ones too, spinach, carrot, pumpkin and what not, but trust your taste buds to find what you love. Then find the right size and you’re good to go. Else substitute with angel hair pasta.

4. Mirin

MirinA sweet rice wine commonly used in Japanese cuisine. Substitute with Sake, if you have some lying around.

5. White Miso paste

White Miso Paste

The biggest contributor of the classic ‘umami‘ flavour in this dish. Find this at your local Asian supermarket. Most miso comes with bonito (fish flakes), so check ingredient list (then, check again!) to make sure there’s nothing in there you can’t eat.

Dashi Stock

While traditional Dashi involves some element of fish in it, for our vegan version, we’ll be invoking the Umami flavour through Kombu (kelp) and dried Shiitake Mushrooms. Soak in water for half hour and bring to a simmer (do not boil!). Strain and reserve the liquid. This is your basic Vegan Dashi Stock – the base of oh-so-many things!

Smells like death (not kidding!), but makes up with the umami flavour!

Vegan Spicy Ramen Noodles Dashi Stock

The Japanese say that a good Ramen is judged not by the noodles, but by the broth. There are so many kinds of Ramen broth – a clear soy base, tonkatsu (creamy pork broth), miso broth (fairly new to the Ramen culture) and more.

The Vegan broth we’ll be creating closely resembles the tonkatsu broth – no pork, but all the milky creaminess, thanks to soy milk. If you’re not too particular about being Vegan, substitute with regular milk instead.

Once the broth is ready, boil the noodles according to package instructions. Drain and place a serving in a large bowl, and pour hot broth generously over the cooked noodles. Garnish with the plethora of options and enjoy a steaming hot bowl of authentic Japanese Ramen – made spicy and Vegan, just for you!

The Ultimate comfort food, make sure this Vegan Spicy Ramen Noodles is in your winter arsenal. From start to finish, 45 mins is all you need.

When you make these (which I really think you SHOULD!), be sure to SHARE YOUR PHOTOS with me through Facebook, Instagram or Twitter. I’d love to see what you cook from here and will share it with pride on my social media feeds.

Notes:

While you can pick from the list of garnishes given below, try not to skip the bean sprouts, corn, fried garlic and chilli oil. The garlic in particular compliments the umami flavour quite well!

Vegan Spicy Ramen Noodles

Created by Tina Dawson on November 24, 2016

The Ultimate comfort food, make sure this Vegan Spicy Ramen Noodles is in your winter arsenal. From start to finish, 45 mins is all you need.

  • Prep Time:30m
  • Cook Time:15m
  • Total Time:45m
  • Serves: 2

Ingredients

For the Dashi Stock

  • 2 dried Shiitake mushrooms, sliced
  • 2 'knots' of kombu (dried seaweed / kelp)
  • 1 1/2 c water, room temperature

FOR THE RAMEN SOUP BASE

  • 2 tsp. garlic flavoured oil (substitute with sesame oil / vegetable oil)
  • 2 inches of ginger, grated
  • 4 cloves of garlic, grated
  • 3 spring onions, chopped (white and green parts separated, sliced)
  • 4 tsp. red chilli paste (I used Sambal Oelek)
  • 3 tsp. white miso paste
  • 2 tbsp. mirin / sake
  • 4 tsp. soy sauce (low-sodium)
  • 2 tbsp. sesame seeds, powdered
  • 2 c soy milk
  • 1 c Dashi stock (from above)
  • White pepper powder, to taste
  • 1/4 tsp. salt
  • 1/4 tsp. fried red chilli flakes

Garnishes (suggested)

  • 1/2 c Fried Tofu (pressed and pan-fried)
  • 1/2 c sweet corn, cooked
  • 1 c bean sprouts, tossed in a pinch of fried red chilli flakes
  • 3 spring onion (green), sliced
  • 1 egg, soft boiled and cut in half (VEGANS, omit!)
  • 1/4 c fried garlic, crushed
  • 2 tsp. fried onions
  • 2 tsp. chilli oil
  • 1 jalapeno, sliced
  • 1/4 c onion, sliced

Instructions

Make the Dashi Stock

  1. Soak the Kombu (seaweed) and dried shiitake mushrooms in water for 30 minutes. Transfer to a small pan and bring to a simmer. (Do not let boil!). Strain and reserve the liquid. Discard the seaweed. You may choose to use the rehydrated mushrooms as topping later.

Make the Ramen Broth

  1. Heat 2 tsp garlic oil in a medium pot over medium-high heat. Sauté ginger, garlic and spring onion (white) for a few seconds.
  2. Add chilli paste, miso, mirin, ground sesame seeds, soy sauce, soy milk and the prepared dashi stock. Season with salt, white pepper and fried red chilli flakes.
  3. Once it begins to simmer (and most of the oil floats on top), remove from heat.

Cook the noodles

  1. While the stock is simmering, put a large pot of water (salted) to the boil. Add two cakes of dried Ramen noodles and cook according to package instructions. Drain and divide the cooked noodles between two large bowls.

Assemble

  1. Divide the ramen broth between the two bowls. Garnish with your choice of toppings. Serve hot!
Source: Adapted from Just One Cookbook
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Filed Under: All Recipes, Cuisines, Japanese, Lunch/Dinner, Table for two, Vegan, Vegetarian Tagged With: broth, dashi, fried garlic, fried red chilli flakes, kombu, Ramen, seaweed, shiitake mushrooms, Tofu

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Conor says

    May 19, 2019 at 2:22 am

    Hey, just wanted to say – I made this for my girlfriend and I tonight and we both thought it was fantastic! Without a doubt the best vegan ramen we’ve had. I loved how thick it got – definitely reminiscent of Tonkotsu. I would even say it holds its own against some of the ‘regular’ ramen I had on a recent trip to Japan. Awesome job, Tina – and thanks for the recipe!

    Reply
    • Tina Dawson says

      May 20, 2019 at 9:18 am

      Conor, I am so very glad that you both enjoyed these! Thank you for coming back to let me know, I appreciate it!

      Reply
  2. Nate Mink says

    May 15, 2019 at 6:11 pm

    This is not a vegan meal. Vegan means that the food is 100% sourced from plants (non-animal sources) the photograph includes a boiled egg, an animal product. Thus this is not a vegan meal.

    Reply
    • Tina Dawson says

      May 16, 2019 at 10:50 pm

      Hey Nate! I’m sorry if this offends you. When I posted this recipe, I wasn’t a vegan (I am now!), and every image of Ramen that I ever saw had an egg on top for visual effect. The broth is 100% vegan, and the egg is simply a topping option. But you are right, maybe it’s time to re-shoot this post without the egg. Thank you for bringing this to my attention.

      Reply
    • Jason Ducharme says

      April 25, 2021 at 5:42 pm

      Oh get a fuckin’ hobby, Nate.

      Reply
  3. Debi at Life Currents says

    November 30, 2016 at 11:50 am

    I’ve been craving ramen lately. Maybe it’s the cooler weather. This looks fantastic. I must make soon.

    Reply
    • Tina Dawson says

      November 30, 2016 at 3:42 pm

      Oh my, it’s just perfect for the weather right now! Ramen away, my friend!

      Reply
  4. Corina says

    November 25, 2016 at 4:58 pm

    I’ve never made a proper Japanese broth before but I’m sure all these ingredients give it a real depth of flavour. Event though there is a long list of ingredients you’ve still made it sound manageable too!

    Reply
    • Tina Dawson says

      November 26, 2016 at 11:45 am

      Thanks so much Corina! The ingredient list is mostly garnishes (which are optional – you add what you like) – but the broth benefits greatly from the flavours in each ingredient! And once you get your feet wet, it’s not that complex!

      Reply
  5. Elizabeth LaBau says

    November 25, 2016 at 4:14 pm

    This sounds so good–like pure comfort food! I’m also glad to have a vegan version–all of the ramen recipes I typically see are based on meat broth.

    Reply
    • Tina Dawson says

      November 26, 2016 at 11:44 am

      I know, Elizabeth – and I loved how this Vegan broth did not miss the ‘meatiness’ flavour! Give it a try and you’ll see! 🙂

      Reply
  6. Platter Talk says

    November 25, 2016 at 2:11 pm

    Healthy, easy and great pictorial instructions! Looking good.

    Reply
    • Tina Dawson says

      November 26, 2016 at 10:56 am

      Thanks so much Dan!

      Reply
  7. Mackenzie @ Food Above Gold says

    November 25, 2016 at 1:29 pm

    This looks so fantastic, and I love you’re breakdown of making a stock with umami. Those shiitake mushrooms make all the difference in my experience! Can’t wait to try this!

    Reply
    • Tina Dawson says

      November 25, 2016 at 2:04 pm

      Thanks so much Mackenzie – I thought breaking it down would help people understand that it’s really not all that complicated as it looks! 🙂

      Reply
  8. Elaine @ Dishes Delish says

    November 25, 2016 at 11:53 am

    This looks incredibly delicious! I’ve always had a love for all things ramen, and the thought of making it myself? Great!!

    Reply
    • Tina Dawson says

      November 25, 2016 at 2:05 pm

      Thanks Elaine! It’s super easy, and incredibly delicious! Try it, and you’ll know what I’m talking about! 🙂

      Reply

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Hi! I'm Tina - the human behind all the content you see on this blog. Welcome to my little corner of the internet where I create flavorful and unique plant-based recipes.

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