Ramen Noodle Soup
Ramen is a classic Japanese noodle soup made with a rich and earthy broth that is perfectly complimented by a wide range of fresh winter vegetables such as any kind of leafy green and root vegetables like carrots, radishes and turnips. Typically the broth would contain bonito, which are a kind of dried fish flakes, but this vegan version derives most of it’s flavor from dried seaweed and mushrooms.
To make the broth known as dashi properly you would need to find a type of seaweed called kombu and soak it over night, then bring it to a brief simmer, remove the seaweed and add the dried mushrooms to soak in the hot broth for twenty minutes before straining. I’m never organized enough to plan ahead for this, so I usually just buy a kind of shredded seaweed that only has to be soaked for five minutes and can be cooked into the soup, rather than being removed after making the broth. I’ve never had trouble finding this kind of seaweed in regular stores and there are various kinds that all seem to work fine for this recipe.
Ingredients (makes 4 portions)
1 Tbsp cooking oil
4 cloves garlic, minced
4 Tbsp freshly grated ginger (or 2 Tbsp dried)
4 cups vegetable broth
4 cups water
8 Oz dried shiitake mushrooms (can use fresh shiitake or cremini if dried aren’t available)
1/4 cup dried, shredded seaweed
4 Tbsp soy sauce
4 Tbsp Mirin (optional)
12 ounces dried ramen noodles.
1 medium head bok choy, chopped
2 carrots, grated
1 bunch green onions, sliced
4 hardboiled eggs (optional)
Method
(Skip this step if not using the eggs) Place eggs in a large saucepan and cover with cold water. Bring to a boil and then turn the heat right down and simmer for a further 10 minutes. Drain well and let cool before peeling and halving.
Prepare the dried mushrooms by boiling the 4 cups of water and soaking the mushrooms covered for 20 minutes. Remove the mushrooms with a slotted spoon, reserving the liquid. Remove and discard the stems which will be very tough and slice the tops into strips. Set aside. (Skip this step if using fresh mushrooms)
While the mushrooms are soaking, grate the carrots, chop the bok choy, slice the green onions and mince the garlic and ginger.
Boil a pot of water to cook noodles according to the packet instructions.
Heat the oil in a large saucepan and gently fry the garlic and ginger for a couple of minutes until fragrant.
Add the vegetable stock and mushroom liquid to the saucepan and stir together with the sliced shiitake and dried seaweed. Cook until the seaweed and mushrooms are tender, about 10 minutes.
Add the carrots and bok choy and simmer gently for another minute.
Turn off the heat and stir in the green onions, soy sauce and mirin. Alternatively, if you like the crunch of raw green onions and the professional aesthetic, save the onions for topping the soup once it’s served.
Divide the soup equally between four large, wide bowls and then divide the noodles in the same way. Add the onions if you reserved them for garnish and finally the halved eggs if using and serve while still piping hot.
If you aren’t using the eggs you can substitute with a couple of tablespoons of cubed tofu in each bowl instead, and other great garnishes include sliced nori (this is the kind of seaweed used for wrapping sushi) and kimchi or fermented bamboo shoots.