Presenting one more delicious and flavourful Winter special soup recipe – Spicy Miso Vegan Ramen. It is a simple soup recipe, not very elaborate, and takes very less time to prepare & cook. And the taste is just amazing. It is an invigorating soup and quite filling too. In fact, even after having a big bowl, you will still feel light. These qualities make it just perfect for dinner.
There is some magic in Asian Recipes I guess. They all taste extremely delicious – light, and full of flavors and the aroma is to die for. If you enjoy this, then you must try our other soup recipes too.
Story Time
When I started making Ramen at home, I kept it very simple. By that I mean, cook onion, garlic, and some veggies, pour the broth, boil noodles, and then plate with some soy sauce, vinegar, and maybe some other toppings. I did not know that I could experiment with it so much. Just by adding different kinds of flavors to your broth, you get a new kind of ramen at home. & it looks fancy.
Only when we started eating ramen in restaurants, we came to know about different flavors and varieties. We went to a restaurant and they had 10 different kinds of broth. For example, miso broth, bean chili broth, peanut and garlic broth, etc. Jatin and I ordered different kinds of ramen and they both tasted delicious and absolutely different from each other. More or less, the ingredients were the same but just the broth was different. Then Jatin told me that I should also do such experiments. That one beautiful evening opened the creative side of my brain and I created peanut ramen and now this miso ramen. I was skeptical about peanut flavor but to our surprise, it was one delicious bowl of soup. Loved it!
The moral of the story – do not hesitate in experimenting in the kitchen. Just like we say, a good recipe is the result of some fearless kitchen experiments.
What is Ramen?
Ramen is a Japanese noodle soup recipe. But you will find different kinds of Ramen in other Asian countries too. Every region has its own way of making it. They add their own special ingredients and create new flavors. However, ramen mostly consists of the following:
- The flavorful and aromatic broth
- Cooked veggies like mushrooms, bell peppers, carrots, broccoli, etc. But you can also add meat if you are a non-vegetarian.
- Seasonings and flavors like soy sauce, chili oil, miso, peanut butter, etc.
- Toppings like sesame seeds, peanuts, bean sprouts, nori, seaweeds, scallions, etc.
- Boiled Noodles
What is Miso Paste?
Miso paste is a Japanese paste-like seasoning ingredient that is made by the fermentation of soybeans. It is a staple ingredient in many traditional and modern Asian recipes. It is used to make soup, flavored broth, noodles, pickles, fish, etc. Miso paste adds a nice umami flavor to the recipes that make you crave it more and more.
Depending on the ingredients, process, and duration of fermentation, we see many different kinds of miso paste in the stores. The most common ones are – dark or red miso and light or white miso. The darker the color, the stronger the taste. Both taste different and unique.
How to prepare vegetable broth?
Making broth is very simple and easy, It just needs time to infuse all the flavors in the water. It is cooked at a simmer for a long time, around 2 hours so that veggies can slowly release their flavors. In fact, the longer you cook, the better the flavor. You can even let it cook for 5 to 6 hours. But do not boil the vegetables. Because it is supposed to be cooked on low flame. I mostly cook it in my Instant Pot and it takes around 1 hour to prepare a delicious, flavorful, and aromatic broth.
Basically, you can use any vegetable or vegetable discards (like peels or old veggies) and add them to a large saucepan. Cover the veggies with water. The veggies should be soaked in. You will need around 3 to 4 liters of water for that. So, a 5-liter saucepan would be fine. You can add some spices too like cinnamon, cloves, and black pepper but that is optional. It depends on what recipes you are going to prepare with the broth. For example, If you are preparing risotto, then you would need a simple, neutral flavor broth. No flavor should be dominating.
After that, cover it and let it cook on low flame for around 1.5 to 2 hours (or longer). You can remove the foamy layer but you don’t need to. Once done, strain and store. Isn’t it simple to prepare? Check out the broth recipe for more details.
Easy Swaps
- Vegetable Broth: For a quick and easy solution, use a bouillon cube. But the homemade broth is more natural, and chemical free. If you are in a hurry, you can even use water.
- Toppings: Use any topping of choice like barbequed tofu, peanuts, carrots, spinach, edamame, nori, etc.
- Sambal Oelek: Use any chili sauce or paste. Avoid it if you don’t like it spicy.
- Maple Syrup: Use sugar, jaggery, or honey instead.
Is this recipe vegan?
Yes. All the ingredients used in this recipe are plant-based and vegan. You can try this recipe if you are a vegan or vegetarian.
More recipes – just as good
P.S. All the soup recipes mentioned above are vegan and plant-based.
Now grab all the ingredients because you are ready to make this delicious, aromatic, and flavorful miso ramen soup at home. It is perfect to make in this cold weather. You will feel warm and comforted. It is perfect to enjoy over the weekend brunch or for dinner too. It looks fancy and restaurant-like and it takes very less time to prepare. So, make it, slurp it, and have a delightful meal.
If you try this recipe & like it too, please share the photo of your creation on Instagram and tag us @thefearlesscooking. We just love to see your recreation of our recipes.
Happy Cooking 🙂
Love
Richa
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