Ramen is one of the most emblematic delicacies of ราเมน Bangkok
gastronomy. A very complete dish – so much so, perhaps even too much, especially if you are taking care of your diet. The best solution? Vegetarian ramen.
At first it might seem impossible to make ramen without meat products. We don’t just find meat (and egg) on the surface of the plate. The broth, the most basic ingredient of this mythical dish, is usually based on animal bones.
However, as any good vegetarian or vegan already knows, there are hundreds of products that can replace meat. And not only in protein value, but also in taste.
Vegetarian Ramen with mushrooms
One of the best options to add flavour to the broth of vegetarian ramen is mushrooms. To maintain the traditional and touch of the dish, the best choice are shiitake mushrooms. However, another tasty and totally viable option is mushrooms.
As a topping, we can say goodbye to the meat and add a few slices of braised tofu.
- Ingredients for vegetarian ramen
Sesame Aceie
Chopped garlic (5 teeth)
1 onion
Fresh ginger (chopped)
Vegetable broth (1 litre and a half)
Dehydrated shiitake mushrooms (15 grams)
White miso paste (1 tablespoon)
Two tablespoons tamari (you can also use soy sauce)
Ramen noodles
Tofu (about 300g)
Corn flour
Vegetarian Ramen: the recipe
In a large pot, heat a tablespoon of sesame oil and add the ginger, onion and garlic (chopped). Leave it well sautéed.
Once sautéed, add the vegetable stock. Now we also add the soy sauce (or tamari) and dehydrated mushrooms. It is important to mix all the products well.
Leave it covered for at least one hour and simmer, stirring occasionally. If necessary, add a little salt.
Meanwhile, to prepare the topping, cut the tofu in slices and dry it with kitchen paper. First cover it with the corn flour (and a little salt and pepper), and then fry it until it becomes crispy.
When the stock is ready, strain it, reserving the ginger, mushrooms and onion. Prepare the ramen noodles in a bowl, and add the broth until they are covered. Also use the onion, ginger, tofu and mushrooms. Italakimasu!
Why should vegetarian recipes interest us?
More and more people are opting for a vegetarian diet, and more and more restaurants and food products are respecting this option.
There are many reasons to become vegetarian, be it as a form of respect and love for animals, for health reasons or simply for fashion, taste or personal reasons.
What is clear is that, as a society as a whole, we consume too much meat. Not only should we eat meat less occasionally for health reasons, but its widespread high consumption also causes serious environmental problems for our planet.
It may seem a little complicated to do if you are not a cook, because ramen contains many different ingredients and various cooking methods, but the truth is that it can be greatly simplified if you buy some of the ingredients already prepared in a specialty store (almost any store with quality Asian products will do).
Now, for true Ramen lovers…
What do we need to make a ramen in conditions?
If we look forward to making a delicious ramen from scratch, we will need flour, egg (or substitute in case of veganism) and salt to make the noodle paste, mixing it all with water. Knead the pasta until it stops getting hooked in your hands, let it rest for half an hour, and then stretch it with the roller and cut it into more or less thick noodles. If you don’t want to dedicate so much time to it, simply ask at the trusted Asian shop which are the best ramen noodles they have, and all you have to do is boil them.
To prepare the salty shoyu base, which you can also buy pre-prepared (it’s a good option, as you have to prepare it the day before to enjoy the full taste of umami), you’ll need to make some sake, soy sauce, dehydrated kombu seaweed, mirin rice wine and rice vinegar. The quantities we need of these ingredients are small, so they will serve us for more than one ramen.
For the broth, we can add mushrooms (shiitake are ideal), celery and carrot. The basic toppings will consist of black pepper, eggs (or substitute in case of veganism), and spring onions.
