Ramen is one of my go-to meals for lunch as it’s super filling and speedy to make or I add some extra toppings to make it a little more filling for an evening meal. You NEED to try this if you love cosy, flavourful meals!
You can also experiment with toppings such as tofu, mushrooms, aubergine, gyoza and spring onion.
Please note this is a Miso Ramen inspired dish that has been adapted to use Asian flavours along with commonly found western cupboard and fridge ingredients.
Important stuff:
The recipe in this blog post is adapted using the inspiration I took from enjoying Ramen in Asian countries using ingredients commonly found have in our western cupboards as I would love more people in the UK to try out some Asian cooking and hopefully this can be a stepping stone into you discovering a love for Asian cuisines.
I am a huge fan of Asian cooking, for its beautiful flavours and because a lot of the meals can be vegan friendly with just a few alternations. I have been lucky enough to have visited Japan and some of South-East Asia before the pandemic and since visiting these countries, I have incorporated some Asian flavours and Asian inspired recipes into my weekly meals.
This Miso Ramen inspired recipe has been highly requested on my food Instagram and I would love it if you try it out. However, as this is not a traditional Asian Ramen, there are lots of other food bloggers with plant-based recipes for Asian meals so I urge you to give these a try as well. Maybe even visit your local Asian supermarket to grab your Miso paste instead of ordering it off Amazon. This will help out your local small businesses and Asian members of your own community.
Want to try out a vegan Ramen recipe created by Asian creators? Of course, you do! My favourite Asian cooking pages are WoonHeng, George Lee, and I highly recommend the ‘Plant-Based Cookbook’, just to name a few!
- WoonHeng uses her Malaysian upbringing to share lots of plant-based Asian dishes you can have a browse through, so go check her out! Her delicious creamy miso ramen is a winner for me!
- George Lee from Chez Jorge is a Taiwanese vegan chef. He has incredible energy and his noodle dishes are for sure going to get your mouth watering. He has almost 500K on Instagram and we can certainly see why!
- The Plant-Based Cookbook is ”a vegan cookbook which explores food culture and heritage through recipes from 150 contributors representing over 110 countries”. Plus all the profits from the book go to the Food Empowerment Project. There is a tonne of Asian and other amazing cultures represented in the book and there will be a load of creators you can find in there who you can follow for more inspiration.
Vegan Ramen
Ingredients:
(This recipe serves 1 large portion, but you can up the noodles to 100g with 200ml of extra water for 2 small, lunch-size portions.)
- 2 Tbsp flavourless oil (e.g. sunflower oil)
- 1/2 Red Onion, chopped lengthways
- 1/2 Bell Pepper (I used 1/4 red and 1/4 orange), sliced into strips
- 1 Carrot, finely sliced lengthways
- 1 clove Garlic, crushed
- 1/4 Tsp Paprika
- 1/4 Tsp Ginger (I used ground)
- 500ml Vegetable Stock
- 65g dry udon noodles
- 1 Tbsp miso paste
- 1 Tsp soy sauce
Optional toppings:
- Spring onion
- Sesame seeds
- 70g firm tofu, chopped into 1cm cubes, fried
- 75g mushrooms, sliced, fried
- A large handful of pakchoi or white cabbage, sliced or shredded
Method:
- Add onion, carrot, pepper and garlic, paprika and ginger with the oil to a large saucepan on medium heat. Stir while cooking for a few mins.
- When the veg has softened, add 500ml stock, miso paste, noodles and soy sauce, and bring to a simmer. You may need to add more water as the noodles cook. I often add a further 200ml as I’m cooking.
- Once the noodles are cooked throughout, you are ready to serve (and add any optional toppings).
Check out this other post on VEGAN RAMEN TOPPING IDEAS for more inspiration!
I hope you find this recipe as delicious as I do. Let me know if you make this at home by tagging me on Instagram @virtually_vegan in your pictures so I can share your creations.