Vegan Miso Ramen with Smoked Tofu
There are countless ways of preparing ramen. Some add soy milk, some puree the soup before adding the veggies, some use a clean broth as a base, and others add sesame paste. There is no wrong and no right, just plenty of different possibilities! Today we show you the "clear" version of ramen based on a very savoury shiitake miso broth.
But what is so special about shiitake mushrooms, and what does miso actually consist of? Shiitake mushrooms are an Asian type of mushrooms that give your soup a very fine but hearty flavor. You will find Shiitake mushrooms in bigger supermarkets as dried and fresh mushrooms. We need both for our recipe! Miso, on the other hand, is a Japanese, very spicy paste that is made from fermented soybeans. In contrast to dark miso paste, the light miso paste has a softer aroma, but still creates the umami taste! According to your mood and season, you can vary the veggies for your ramen: edamame, broccoli, beans, or cabbage work also in the recipe.
[Taifun] (https://www.taifun-tofu.de/) supported us with this recipe, which makes us very happy! We used the [classic smoked tofu ] (https://www.taifun-tofu.de/de/raeuchertofu-klassik) for our vegan ramen. The smoking adds immense flavors to the tofu that works very well with soups, pasta, salads, and rice dishes. All products from Taifun are produced under fair and ecological conditions from soya, which is grown in Germany, France, and Austria.
Vegan Miso-Ramen with Smoked Tofu
Ingredients
- 12 g dried shiitake mushrooms
- 1 onion
- 3 garlic cloves
- 50 g ginger
- 0.5 - 1 small red chili pepper
- 1 carrot
- 100 g fresh shiitake mushrooms
- 2 heads of pak choi
- 25 g white miso paste
- 50 ml mirin
- 3-4 tbsp soy sauce
- 2 l vegetable stock
- 1 nori sheet
- white pepper
- 400 g ramen noodles
- 3 tbsp sesame oil
- 400 g smoked tofu
serving
- 1 scallion
- 10 g fresh cilantro
- 50 g soybean sprouts
- sesame oil
Instructions
- In a small bowl, combine dried shiitake mushrooms and 1 cup of hot water. Let stand for about 20-30 minutes. Drain the mushrooms and reserve the mushroom water. Chop mushrooms and set aside.
- Peel and finely chop the onion, garlic, and ginger. Wash and chop the chilies.
- Clean the fresh shiitake mushrooms with a damp cloth, remove the stems and halve/quarter them. Peel the carrot and cut into sticks. Wash and halve pak choi.
- Heat sesame oil in a large saucepan and sauté onions, garlic, chili, and ginger. Add the dried shiitake mushrooms.
- Add the miso paste, mirin, and soy sauce and sauté for another 2 minutes.
- Deglaze with the mushroom water and vegetable broth.
- Cut the nori leaf into thin strips and add to the pot. Keep simmering for at least 30 minutes. Strain the broth and put it back in the pot.
- Add the fresh shiitake mushrooms and keep simmering for 5 minutes. Then add the pak choi and the carrot sticks and simmer for another 5 minutes. Season with white pepper, mirin, and soy sauce.
- Prepare the ramen noodles according to the package instructions.
- Fry the smoked tofu with sesame oil in a pan until crispy, add a dash of soy sauce, and set aside.
- Wash the cilantro and shake dry, wash the spring onion and cut into rings.
- Serve the vegan miso ramen with smoked tofu, soybean sprouts, spring onions, fresh cilantro, and serve with the ramen noodles.
