This delicious vegan kimchi ramen is the perfect meal for colder weather.
This recipe requires the use of kombu dashi, a broth made of dried kelp (dashima in Korean, kombu in Japanese). Ubiquitous in Korean and Japanese cuisine, it is used to enhance umami (savory) flavor in dishes. In fact, Japanese scientist Kikunae Ikeda created MSG in 1908 by isolating the main substance of dashi.
Korean dashi broth usually includes kelp and dried anchovies, but in this recipe we are replacing anchovies with shiitake mushrooms to keep things vegan.
This recipe is closer to the Korean Shin Ramen (but made from scratch and without the MSG) than authentic Japanese ramen. I hope you enjoy!
PREP TIME: 10 min
INGREDIENTS:
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.5oz kelp (kombu)
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2oz shiitake mushroom, sliced
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3 tbs soy sauce
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scallion, thinly sliced
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3oz firm tofu, cubed
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1/2 onion, diced
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1 tsp ginger, minced
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3 cloves garlic, minced
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4oz dried ramen noodles
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1 tsp sesame oil
DIRECTIONS:
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Slice your shiitake mushrooms. Separate the stems, but don’t throw them out! We’ll use them for our broth.
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Make your kombu broth: measure 4 cups of water, .5oz of kombu, and the shiitake stems. Simmer for 20 min with the lid closed.
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While the broth is simmering, mince the garlic and ginger, chop the onion and scallions, and cube the tofu.
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Once the broth is done simmering, remove the kelp and shiitake.
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Set aside about 2 tablespoons of kimchi for garnish, and pour the rest of the kimchi into the broth.
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Pour 3 tbs of soy sauce, garlic, ginger, and onion into the broth. Boil at med-high heat for 10-15 min.
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Boil a separate pot of water for your ramen noodles.
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Place the shiitake mushroom into the broth. Boil at med-high for another 5 min.
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Try the broth. If it’s too salty, add some water, if it’s too bland, sprinkle in some salt. Keep in mind that you will be adding noodles to the broth.
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Cook the ramen noodles according to the directions.
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Add the tofu to the broth, lower the heat to low-med, and cook for 5 min.
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Remove the broth from heat, and add 1 tsp of sesame oil.
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Place the drained ramen noodles into two bowls. Pour in the broth evenly into the bowls. Garnish with scallions, kimchi, and sprinkle a little bit of Kimchi Dust on top.
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Enjoy!