Ah kitchen disasters. I’ve had my fair share of them. There was the time I spent hours making a pumpkin pie from scratch only to drop it on to the floor straight out of the oven. Then there was the time I almost set fire to a kitchen when I was much too heavy handed with the oil on some wedges in the oven. Then there are the little disasters – split ganache, molten brownie mixture, fennel pasta nightmares that haunt me to this day. The list goes on…
But this easy vegan ramen recipe is not one of those disasters, dear reader! Now, don’t get me wrong, there were a couple of hiccups on the path to perfecting this recipe. The first attempt resulted in a weak broth that was more like dirty dishwater if you ask me. The second attempt, while better, wasn’t quite there… and I forgot the spinach. What an amateur.
But this version, my third attempt… well, it’s a little bit dreamy.
The broth is salty (of course), hearty (because every ramen broth should be), and then, to top it all off, it’s really deep and meaty thanks to the dried mushrooms. While it’s not particularly necessary, and you can definitely leave it out if you prefer, I topped mine with some tonkatsu glazed tofu. It’s the perfect little addition and it just completes the dish if you ask me.
I love ramen – but, then again, who doesn’t? – because it feels like a treat, but it also feels really good for you. Aren’t those meals the very best kind?
If you give this a go, let me know how you get on in comments below!
Easy Vegan Ramen
Serves 4
Ingredients
1 tbsp Sesame Oil
6 Garlic Cloves – crushed (using the back of a knife)
2 inch Ginger – roughly chopped and crushed
4 Spring Onions – sliced diagonally
1/4 Cup Soy Sauce
2 tbsp Mirin
1.5L Vegetable Stock
2 tsp Tonkatsu Sauce (or sub vegan Worcestershire Sauce)
1/2 cup Dried Mushrooms
2 tsp White Miso Paste
340g Ramen Noodles
100g Baby Spinach
1 Red Chilli – sliced diagonally
Sesame seeds to garnish
For Tonkatsu Glazed Tofu:
1 block Extra Firm Tofu
1/4 cup Tonkatsu Sauce
1 tsp Sesame Oil
Method
- Heat oil over a medium heat. Add ginger, garlic and white parts of the spring onions – cook for 2 minutes. Pour in soy sauce and mirin and cook for a further minute or two.
- Add the stock, tonkatsu, and mushrooms then bring to the boil. Simmer for a further 5 minutes before adding miso paste. Stir well and adjust seasoning as needed.
- Strain the broth, reserving the mushrooms for serving if desired.
- To serve, divide noodles between four bowls. Add spinach, and reserved mushrooms (if desired) to bowl and then pour over broth. Top with glazed tofu, green parts of the spring onion, red chilli slices and sprinkle generously with sesame seeds
For the Glazed Tofu:
- Press tofu using desired method
- Place pan over a medium-high heat and warm up sesame oil. Add tofu and then the 1/4 cup of Tonkatsu sauce. Cook for 5 minutes until the tofu is well-glazed.
- Set aside for serving
Ready for Pinning!
