Delicious Vegan Ramen

Ingredients

The Stock

1 onion, roughly chopped with skin on

4 cloves garlic, lightly crushed with skins on

1 thumb-size piece ginger, peeled and bashed

2 spring onions, roughly chopped with roots on

2 handfuls dried shiitake mushrooms

2 to 3 handfuls dried soybeans

1 litre vegetable stock, plus extra to top up

1 heaped tablespoon white miso

1 tablespoon light soy sauce

The Miso Glaze

1 tablespoon brown or red miso

1 tablespoon golden syrup

1 tablespoon Japanese soy sauce

1 teaspoon rice vinegar

1 teaspoon sesame oil

2 to 4 tablespoons water

The Toppings

1 block firm tofu, sliced 3 to 4mm thick

1 carrot, sliced on an angle

1 large handful pak choi, cut into eighths

Reserved shiitake mushrooms from the stock, sliced

2 portions ramen noodles

Vegetable oil, for frying

Spring onion, finely sliced, to garnish

PREPARATION

COOKING

1. Build the stock

Heat a large saucepan over medium heat with a drizzle of oil. Add onion, garlic, ginger and spring onion. Fry gently for 5 to 6 minutes until softened and lightly sticking to the base, but not burnt.

2. Deglaze and simmer

Pour in vegetable stock, scraping up all the flavour from the base. Add dried shiitake mushrooms and dried soybeans. Top up with water if needed. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a rolling simmer for 2 to 3 hours until deeply flavoured.

3. Prepare the miso glaze

In a bowl mix brown miso, golden syrup, Japanese soy sauce, rice vinegar and sesame oil. Add water gradually until you achieve a runny caramel consistency. Divide in half for tofu and carrots.

4. Crisp the tofu

Heat oil in a frying pan over medium-high heat. Fry tofu slices until golden on both sides. Remove excess oil, add half the glaze and allow it to bubble and caramelise around the tofu. Remove and set aside.

5. Glaze the carrots

In the same pan, stir fry carrots with a splash of water over high heat until just tender. Add the remaining glaze and cook until lightly charred and glossy. Set aside.

6. Strain and season the stock

Strain the stock through a sieve into a clean saucepan. Reserve a few shiitake mushrooms for serving. Return stock to the heat and stir in white miso and light soy sauce. Taste and adjust seasoning.

7. Prepare the noodles

Soak ramen noodles in hot water for about 8 minutes. Drain, rinse briefly under cold water and drizzle with sesame oil to keep separate.

8. Cook and assemble

Bring the seasoned stock to a boil. Add noodles and cook for about 3 minutes until tender. Blanch pak choi briefly in the stock. Divide noodles between bowls, top with pak choi, shiitake mushrooms, glazed tofu and carrots. Ladle over the hot broth.

Garnish with spring onion.

Serve immediately.

School of Wok Tips

• Leave onion and garlic skins on for deeper colour and flavour in the stock.

• Let vegetables stick slightly before deglazing to build complexity.

• Always dissolve miso into hot stock gently rather than boiling it aggressively.

• Cook toppings ahead so assembly is quick and the noodles do not overcook.

FAQs

How do dried soybeans improve the stock?

They add savoury depth and slight creaminess, helping replicate the body of traditional bone broth.

Can I skip the long simmer?

You can reduce the time, but the depth of flavour improves significantly after 2 to 3 hours.

Why add miso at the end?

Boiling miso too hard can dull its flavour. Stirring it in at the end preserves its fermented richness.