Now while I plan to someday soon dabble in the rich, intoxicating flavors that come together in a bowl of legitimate tonkotsu ramen, it’s quite an undertaking to get it right. I feel that crafting my spirit animal warrants some serious dedication and focus. In the meantime I am content to create and experiment with any number of ramen recipes. This vegetable version was a part of the menu I created for my Epicurious Instagram Weekend Takeover a few weeks back. I wanted to create something unique and flavorful but also simple to replicate.
While I won’t shy away from a laborious recipe, I’m not always in the mood to spend hours slaving away over comfort food. This vegetarian ramen is full of fall vegetables and has a rich, flavorful broth that tastes like it’s been cooking far longer than it has. I found the forbidden rice noodles at Target of all places and delighted in their purplish-black color. Perfect for October—and the gluten free among us, I’m looking at you sister.
The noodles had a great texture and flavor and to be honest I enjoyed them more than any of the other instant noodles varieties I’ve tried to date. I’m still on the hunt for more authentic tasting ramen noodles near me (or online) so if you know of any…
For the broth I combined store-bought miso and vegetable stocks. If I don’t make my own stock I will always pay a bit extra for better quality, especially when it comes to ramen. Adding in ingredients like fresh ginger, hoisin, and chili paste deepen the flavor profile, making for a satisfying and comforting bowl of ramen.
You could use any vegetables you like in this soup; bok choy, roasted peppers, grilled corn, zucchini. Tofu would also be a nice addition, if you’re into that…which I’m not. It’s a texture thing. As for the egg, unless you don’t eat ‘em I strongly recommend mastering the soft-boiling technique. It’s essential to a traditional bowl of ramen and really not all that hard to accomplish. I’ll include my technique below.
Now that fall is finally here—in Southern California I mean—this veggie ramen is the perfect accompaniment to any cold night! Added plus; it’s really very healthy—which is alien territory for me. With the roasted squash and sautéed mushrooms you won’t miss the meat and the richness of the egg puts it over the top! Most of you know that ramen is my spirit animal and after this bowl, it will be yours too!
- For the Broth
- 32 oz. (4 cups) miso broth
- (4 cups) vegetable stock
- 2 Tbsp. Sambal Oelek chili paste
- 1 Tbsp. hoisin
- ½ tsp. turmeric
- ½ tsp. grated ginger
- 12 oz. ramen noodles
- For the Vegetables
- ½ acorn squash, seeds removed and cut into 1 inch chunks (skin on or off)
- 2 Tbsp. sweet soy sauce
- 2 cups kale
- 2 cups sliced shitake mushrooms
- Olive oil for roasting an sautéing vegetables
- Salt and pepper
- Optional Serving Ideas
- Sriracha
- Diced green onion
- Hoisin
- Fresh jalapeño
- Lime wedges
- Toasted sesame seeds
- 2 eggs, soft-boiled (recipe below)
- Prepare the Vegetables
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Line 2 small baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Toss kale in 1 Tbsp. olive oil, a little salt and pepper, and arrange on one of the baking sheets. Bake for about 9-12 minutes until kale is lightly crispy but not burned. Keep an eye on it.
- Toss the acorn squash in the soy sauce, 1 tsp. olive oil, and a pinch of salt, arranging on the other baking sheet. Bake for about 30-40 minutes until soft and cooked through.
- Meanwhile heat 1 Tbsp. olive oil in a medium skillet and sauté mushrooms with a little salt and pepper for about 5-7 minutes.
- Set vegetables aside until ready to serve.
- Make the Broth & Noodles
- Combine all the ingredients, except the noodles, into a medium size pot. Simmer on medium-low heat for 10 minutes.
- Add in noodles and cook according to package instructions or make the noodles separately, drain, rinse with cold water, and set aside until ready to serve. I like to cook the noodles separately so they don’t sit in the broth and get soggy.
- Assemble
- Divide the noodles into two large soup bowls.
- Divide the veggies among each bowl.
- Pour about 3 cups of broth into each bowl avoiding the kale so it stays crispy.
- Garnish with green onion, sriracha, eggs, jalapeño, or whatever else your little heart desires.
- Make the Eggs
- Fill a bowl with cold water and ice cubes and set aside.
- Fill a medium pot with water and bring to a boil.
- Reduce heat to low so that only a few streams of bubbles rise to the surface.
- Gently lower eggs in one at a time into the water with a slotted spoon.
- Set a timer for 6-7 minutes depending on the egg. Now, for medium sized eggs I find that 6 ½ minutes is what I just right for my idea of the perfect soft boiled egg. The yolk is runny but the white is set. Nothing worse than a runny egg white.
- Remove eggs with the slotted spoon and place in the ice bath to stop the cooking process.
- When cool enough to handle, gently peel and carefully slice eggs in half.
- If you have never made soft-boiled eggs before I recommend making a few extra and taking one out at 6 minutes, 7 minutes, and so on. The only really way to master this is to cook a few and take them out at different times to find your perfect egg. If doing this be sure to separate them so you know which is which.
