stole it from China
I’m half Japanese, but I’m not going to front like I’m some kind of ramen expert. I even read we stole it from China! Anyway this isn’t a history lesson. You just want noodles drowning in a well-rounded, rich, layered umami broth. So I’ve created a homemade ramen that’s less intimidating to make but just as decadent and flavorful as anything you’d order in a restaurant. And the best part, of course, is it’s all veggie based! The tare is your main squeeze here. It’s where all the flavor exists, bringing the salty, sweet, sour, and spiciness to this dish or, rather, umami!
Some things to keep in mind: You’ll need a large stockpot that can hold 6 quarts or more to make the broth. I’ve listed The Tofu Bacon Crumbles as optional, but they’re like a fried pork substitute and are really tasty in this dish. The broth and tare can be made ahead and refrigerated—you will reheat the broth but do not heat the tare. The tare is meant to have hot liquid poured over it rather than being heated in the stockpot. If you heat it in the stockpot, it will separate and cloud rather than meshing nicely into the broth. This recipe is slightly more time-consuming than the others but certainly not difficult to make.
MAKES 4 generous servings
PREP TIME 45 minutes
COOK TIME 2 hours
PREP AHEAD
Tofu Bacon Crumbles (this page), optional
BROTH
2 onions, halved
2 garlic bulbs
2 large sweet potatoes, diced
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 pound cremini mushrooms
8 ounces shiitake mushrooms
2 celery stalks, quartered
3 green onions, quartered
2 thick slices of fresh ginger
½ head of napa cabbage, quartered
1 tablespoon sea salt
1 tablespoon ground pepper
1 large piece kombu seaweed
12 cups water
TARE
⅓ cup low-sodium tamari or soy sauce
⅓ cup tahini
2 tablespoons red or white miso paste
1 tablespoon seasoned rice vinegar or mirin
NOODLES & TOPPINGS
4 (3 oz/100 g) packs vegan-friendly ramen noodles
1 carrot, shredded or ribboned
1 cup frozen corn, thawed and drained
4 green onions, sliced diagonally
1 cup warmed Tofu Bacon (optional)
3 teaspoons chile oil or sesame oil (optional)
To make the broth, preheat the oven to 450°F.
On a large baking sheet, arrange the onion halves, garlic bulbs, and diced sweet potatoes. Roast for 40 minutes until the potatoes are cooked through and there is charring on the vegetables.
Heat the vegetable oil in a large stockpot over medium heat and combine the mushrooms, celery, green onions, ginger, and cabbage. Add the roasted onion halves and 1 of the roasted garlic bulbs (smashing it a bit to release the roasted garlic). Sauté for 10 minutes until the vegetables are wilted and cooked down a little. Add the salt, pepper, kombu, and water. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat, cover, and simmer for 1 hour.
Meanwhile combine the tare ingredients together until smooth and set aside. This can last in the fridge for up to 1 month but do not freeze it. It’s best to make the tare as you need it.
Strain the broth into a large bowl or another pot that can hold about 11 cups liquid. If you see any roasted garlic still intact, reserve the soft cloves, removing the skins. You can also reserve the mushrooms and add to the final bowls of ramen. Compost the strained the vegetables! Clean the stockpot and add the strained broth back in.
In a blender, combine ½ cup of the roasted sweet potatoes with 1 cup of the strained broth, the roasted cloves from the remaining garlic bulb, and any roasted cloves you pulled from the broth. Blend until smooth and cloudy. Then add this mixture to the stockpot of broth.
To cook the noodles, bring the finished broth to a boil in the stockpot. Add the noodles and lower heat to a simmer. They will take about 3 minutes to cook. If you’re not serving all the portions at the same time, only use the amount of broth and noodles you need. Alternatively you can cook the ramen in a separate pot of boiling water. Drain but do not rinse. Then add them into the heated broth at serving. Store the remaining broth in the fridge and consume within 7 days or freeze for up to 2 months.
Traditionally bowls are warmed before serving. You can heat them in a microwave or, if they’re oven-safe, in a 325°F oven for a few minutes, but it’s not necessary. You can also reheat the remaining roasted sweet potato.
To serve, place 2 tablespoons of the tare in the bottom of each bowl. Top with 1 cup of the broth. Stir with a chopstick to mix together. Fill with approximately 1½ cups of the broth, depending on the size of the bowl, and add a portion of noodles. Top each serving with shredded carrot, corn, green onion, remaining sweet potato, and bacon crumbles. Drizzle with chile oil, if desired, or with sesame oil if you don’t want spice.
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