Vegan Shio Ramen
This vegan shio ramen features a light, flavorful homemade vegetable broth boosted by truffle salt. It’s topped with meaty king oyster mushrooms, seaweed, and menma.
Servings: 2
Ingredients
Vegetable broth
- 1 Tablespoon vegetable oil
- 1/2 pound carrots (230 grams)
- 1/4 pound daikon radish or other radish or celery (115 grams)
- 1/4 pound leek or white or yellow onion (115 grams)
- 1/4 pound yellow squash (115 grams)
- 1 thumb ginger (25 grams or 0.8 ounces)
- 4 cloves garlic
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 piece kombu (3x4 inches or 7.5x10 centimeters)
- 50 fluid ounces water 1.5 liters
Broth seasonings
- 1/2 teaspoon truffle salt
- Sea salt to taste
Noodles and toppings
- 2 servings ramen noodles fresh, frozen, or dried (preferably not instant)
- 1 tablespoon dried fueru wakame
- 2 tablespoons plant-based butter or neutral cooking oil
- 1/2 pound king oyster mushrooms or more as desired
- 2 green onions chopped finely
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest grated
Instructions
Cook the soup base
- Wash all of the vegetable broth ingredients thoroughly (except the kombu and salt). Peel the ginger. Slice the carrots, daikon, squash, leek, ginger, and garlic thinly.
- Heat the oil in a large heavy saucepan over medium-high heat. When the saucepan is hot, add all the ingredients, including the salt, but excluding the kombu. Stir for the next 10 minutes, distributing the salt evenly and preventing any ingredients from becoming too browned (a little bit of browning is OK). Reduce the heat if you notice any burning or if any ingredient is browning quickly.
- Add the water and kombu and stir well. Bring the water to a boil, reduce to low heat, and cover the saucepan. Simmer covered for 1 hour. (You can prepare the noodles and toppings while it simmers.)
- Use a large mesh strainer to strain the broth. Set the cooked vegetables aside. (See note for how to use them later.)
Boil the noodles
- Follow the instructions on the package to boil the noodles. If using dried ramen, cook the noodles for 1 minute less than prescribed. Drain the noodles in a colander and rinse them in cold water to stop the cooking process. Set them aside.
Sear the king oyster mushrooms
- Cut the king oyster mushrooms into thin slabs about 1/4 inch (1/2 centimeter) thick as shown in the photos. If your mushrooms are on the smaller side, cut them so they at least have one flat surface so they can receive a good searing.
- Heat the plant-based butter (or neutral oil) in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot, add the mushrooms. Flip occasionally for the next 8-10 minutes, until the mushrooms are cooked through and well-browned on both sides. Transfer the mushrooms to a plate.
Rehydrate the fueru wakame
- Place the dried fueru wakame in a small bowl. Add plenty of water to cover it. Once it is rehydrated, after 5-7 minutes, drain the liquid from the bowl. Set it aside.
Reheat and Season the broth
- Once you’ve strained the broth, reheat it in the saucepan if needed (it should be quite hot, but not boiling when you serve it).
- Add the truffle salt, stir it, and taste the broth. The truffle should be barely (or not even) noticeable. You can add more if you like, but be very careful. Stir sea salt into the broth as needed for extra saltiness.
Assemble and serve
- Divide the noodles and toppings (including green onion and lemon zest) equally among two bowls. Pour equal amounts of hot broth into each bowl
Notes
This recipe makes two meal-sized portions.
You may have some broth left after serving. The broth is quite versatile and will stay good for a week in the fridge.
The mushrooms were especially tasty, and my wife and I both wanted more than the half-pound allotted in the recipe. So feel free to cook more and enjoy them.
You can eat the boiled vegetables later if you like. I put them in a saucepan with some water and miso and it made an easy veggie miso soup.