Ramen may never have gone completely out of style but it certainly seems to be going through something of a renaissance in the west. Noodles are so important in Japan that they famously managed to create space worthy ramen back in 2005 when other space foods were still being eaten with a straw. I can’t even begin to be an expert myself, as a white girl living in London who’s never even been to Japan but it’ll often be the first thing I order if available. Tasty noodles floating in a deeply flavourful broth, paired with beautiful toppings. The problem, as with many dishes like it, is two fold for us – how do you make a broth as flavourful without meat, and how do you make it completely gluten free without loosing any further flavour?
Lets look at the gluten problem first. Many recipes will suggest simply substituting rice noodles for normal wheat based ramen. While rice noodles have their place, they don’t have the same flavour or texture as a good ramen noodles. Instead, we’re big fans of buckwheat ramen. Slightly deeper in colour than your standard ramen but with good flavour all their own and enough body to stand up to any good broth. As a small note, if you’ve been reading my recipes for a while you’ll know my normal substitute for soy sauce – coconut aminos. It took us a while to find a brand that tastes just right but they’re gluten free, soy free and can taste just like soy sauce.
As for veganising what is typically a meat based broth, the first key is to go for miso ramen. This is by far the easiest type to veganise as so much of the flavour comes from the miso based tare rather than relying on meat stock. Of course the broth is still important. Bring out your best vegetable stock, build it up with key aromatics like onion, garlic and ginger. Add the key building blocks of a great dashi, dried shitake mushrooms and kombu and finish with mirin, sesame oil, soy sauce (or coconut aminos in our case), and yeast extract makes a broth anyone would adore.
Try it – I’m sure you’ll love it as much as we do!
- Makes: Serves 4-6
Ingredients
For the Marinated Tofu:
- 400g Firm Tofu, pressed
- 1/4 cup Cornflour
- 1 Tbsp Red Miso
- 1 Tbsp Soy Sauce Substitute (See allergy note below)
- 1 Tbsp Toasted Sesame Oil
For the Broth:
- 1 Large onion, chopped
- 2 Garlic Cloves, minced
- 10g Ginger, thinly shredded
- 1 Ltr Vegetable Stock
- 1 Ltr Water
- 1 Sheet Kombu
- 20g Dried Shitake Mushrooms
- 30ml Mirin
- 1/2 Tbsp Soy Sauce Substitute (See allergy note below)
- 1 Tbsp Toasted Sesame Oil
For the Tare:
- 135g Red Miso
- 60g Oil
- 3g Red Chilli Flakes
- 1 Tbsp Tahini
- 1 Tbsp Mirin
To finish the Ramen:
- 280g Buckwheat Noodles
- Buttered Sweetcorn
- Spinach
- Carrot Ribbons
- Sliced Spring Onions
- Toasted Sesame Seeds
- Chilli Oil (for those that like that bit more heat!)
Directions
I really have to emphasise that your tofu should be pressed before starting this recipe. It won’t absorb the marinade properly if it’s not. If you’re not sure on how to press tofu then can I point you to this excellent guide by Sam from It Doesn’t Taste Like Chicken?
Slice the tofu into 1cm thick chunks and dust with the cornflour, leave to settle for 10 minutes. Whisk together the soy, miso and sesame oil. Brush onto the tofu chunks and leave to marinade for an hour, brushing with another layer of marinade halfway through. Preheat your oven to 240 degrees (220 Fan/475 F) and prepare an oven tray with greaseproof paper. Place the marinaded tofu onto the prepared tray, spritz with oil and bake for 30 minutes, turning halfway through.
Bring out your favourite, large, soup pan and place onto a medium heat. Add a dash of oil with the onion and sauté, stirring occasionally, until the onions soften. Once the onions have just started to brown, add in the garlic and ginger and continue to cook until the onions are golden brown. Now add in the stock, water, mirin, kombu, soy, sesame oil, and mushrooms. Bring up to a gentle simmer (really – don’t boil this) and continue to cook for 30 minutes.
While the broth is cooking, mix up the tare. Whisk together the ingredients to make a smooth paste. Cook the noodles according to packet instructions and drain well, toss with a little sesame oil. When the broth is cooked, remove and discard the kombu. Place a ladle of broth into a bowl and whisk in the tare, before pouring back into the broth and mixing well.
Divide the broth between four bowls and place noodles in the centre of each. Surround the noodles with the tofu and your favourite toppings. Enjoy!
Notes
Allergy Notes; I’m going to keep saying this – Soy Sauce is NOT gluten free as the brewing process contains wheat. A good gluten free option is Tamari which normally contains little to no gluten, is slightly less salty, and thicker than soy sauce. As always, check your brand to make sure you’ve not accidentally picked up one of the few brands which uses gluten. We use coconut aminos in our house, while not quite as rich as soy sauce, it’s both gluten free and soy free but different brands vary tremendously – you may have to look around before finding one that suits you.
This recipe is naturally vegan, gluten free, and nut free but it does use both soy and sesame seeds. If sesame is an allergen for you then just skip the sesame oil. I’m afraid I haven’t been able to find a decent soy free miso but if you find one let me know!
