Best Vegan Mushroom Ramen Questa ricetta è disponibile anche in italiano
This vegan mushroom soba ramen noodle bowl is the best comfort food to enjoy in cold days or whenever we fancy a flavourful and cosy meal.
It’s that time of the year where cosy, warm and soupy foods are our best alleys.
To me what ticks all of the above boxes is indeed ramen.
This Japanese delicacy is indeed highly comforting, warming and so darn delicious. The secret of the perfect flavourful ramen lies behind the broth.
Do not be intimidated by this statement though. Making a good ramen broth from scratch is actually pretty easy and straightforward. Nevertheless it will make you save money too, as the it’s really cheap compared to those store bought, not to mention that you will know exactly what to put in it.
How to make a Vegan Ramen Broth
The basic ingredients for a good and flavourful ramen broth are just a bunch:
– Water
– Kombu Seaweed
– Shiitake Mushrooms (optional, but give a deeper flavour)
– Soy Sauce (or Tamari for a gluten free version)
– Sake (optional but recommended)
To which we will add:
– Sesame Oil
– Salt
– Garlic Powder
– White Pepper
– Fresh Ginger
– Spring Onions
If you are up for some heat, feel free to add a touch of chili, in form of chili oil or flakes. As much as I love (adore might be more correct) spicy food, I personally prefer to leave the heat out of my ramen broth, as I find it already rich and flavourful as it is.
To make the broth we need to make a dashi first by pouring hot water over the kombu piece and the dry shiitake. Allow to infuse for 15 minutes covered, then we remove the seaweed.
In a wok we add the sesame oil, the garlic, the ginger add the spring onions and heat them up for a bunch of seconds, then sake and soy sauce go in, followed by the dashi and bring it all to a boil. As soon as the liquid reaches the boiling point the broth is ready.
If you want to add even more personality to your ramen broth, feel free to enrich it with a tablespoon or two of my Vegan Fish Sauce.
I picked a couple of different types of mushrooms.
As well as the shiitake that go to flavour the broth I used Brown Shimeji and Enoki. They are both available in Asian shops or markets, while the shiitake are largely available in pretty much all supermarkets, especially in their dry form, or online.
Of course you can use any other mushrooms you like, like portobello, champignon (closed cup), porcini, oyster, king oyster, etc.
The mushrooms will be quickly sautéed in a pan with chopped garlic and sesame oil.
Normally, I first sauté the mushrooms, set them aside and make the broth in the same wok, so it takes even more flavour.
For a protein boost I also added a bunch of tofu puffs (or puffed tofu), which is basically deep fried bean curd. I talk largely about this ingredient in this post.
If you already have them and you’d like to use in some vegan recipes check these Marinated Tofu Skewers, or these Tofu Puffs Chinese Style, as well as these Tofu Puffs in Mushroom Sauce. They also make a good addition to these Thai Drunken Noodles.
Last – but not least – you are going to need a good bunch of noodles.
Since this is a soba ramen version, we want to look for soba noodles. Soba noodles are made from buckwheat. They can be made 100% from buckwheat flour or from a mix of buck and wheat flours. Those made only from buckwheat are totally gluten free, hence suitable for people with gluten intolerance or allergies. Their taste is slightly nuttier and intense compared to the wheat ones. Also, these noodles have interestingly about half the calories and carbohydrates as typical white flour pasta/noodles, which makes them a really good weight watcher alternative.
The trick to have noodles that remain firmer, springier, and less likely to fall apart in your soups and sauces is to add some baking soda to their cooking water.
Every time I make ramen, in fact, I boil the noodles in approx 1 liter of water with 1 tbsp of baking soda.
This method won’t impact the taste of the noodles, I promise.
If you haven’t tried it, let me know what you think after you do! I’m sure it will be a game changer for many of you 🙂
But now, let’s talk about the execution. Enjoy!
Best Vegan Mushroom Soba Ramen Recipe
Ingredients:
…for the broth…
1 Liter Water
2-3 Shiitake (dry)
2-3 Spring Onions (white part finely chopped)
1 piece Kombu
1 Garlic Clove
2 tbsp Tamari (or Soy Sauce)
1 tbsp Sake (optional)
1/2 tbsp Sesame Oil
1 tsp Ginger (or 1/2 inch piece)
1/2 tsp White Pepper
…for the noodles…
2 portions Soba Noodles
1 liter Water
1 tbsp Baking Soda
1/2 tbsp Sea Salt
…for the toppings…
150 g Brown Shimeji (cleaned with a damp cloth)
50 g Enoki (cleaned with a damp cloth)
8-10 Tofu Puffs
2-3 Spring Onions (green part chopped – to garnish)
1/2 tbsp Sesame Oil
1 Garlic Clove (minced)
1 Nori Sheet (to garnish)
Method:
1. Add to a large pirex or heat resistant bowl the piece of kombu and the shiitake mushrooms. Pour over one liter of boiling water, cover with a lid let infuse for 10-15 minutes. This will be our vegan dashi.
2. In a wok add 1/2 tbsp sesame oil and minced garlic clove. Heat for a few seconds then add the shimeji mushrooms simply teared apart with the hands. Sauté on high heat for 3-5 minutes or until soft or to your taste.
3. Combine the tofu puffs stir well and heat for another couple of minutes. Set aside.
4. In the same work where you cooked the mushrooms add another 1/2 tbsp of sesame oil, the ginger (minced or whole), the white part of the spring onions and the garlic. Heat for 30-60seconds or just enough to infuse the flavours. Add the sake and the tamari or soy sauce, and scrape the bottom of the wok with a spoon.
5. Remove the piece of kombu from the dashi, and add the broth to the wok. Finally add the water and season with salt and white pepper. Lower the heat, cover with the lid and bring the broth to a boil. As soon as it reaches the boil turn off the heat.
6. Prepare the noodle by boiling 1 liter of water with 1 tbsp of baking soda. Cook for the time indicated on the packet, normally between 4 to 5 minutes.
7. A couple of minutes before serving the ramen, place the enoki mushrooms in the broth to warm up. They do not need to cook, it’s only enough a bit of heat before adding them to the bowl.
8. Assemble the vegan mushroom soba ramen bowl by placing the noodles on the bottom, cover with broth and top with the two types of mushrooms and the tofu puffs. Garnish with spring onions on top and nori sheets on a side and enjoy straight away.
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