Sunday Super Umami Vegan Ramen Recipe

On Sundays I love making vegan ramen using a jar of frozen Immunity Broth, my favorite Japanese pantry staples, noodles, and whatever leftover greens, herbs, and veggies I have in my fridge from the week. This recipe incorporates several sources of umami (mushroom broth, shio koji, miso, nutrition yeast, umami powder, and seaweed) to give you an intense, complex flavor explosion that will ensure you don’t even miss meat at all. The nutritional yeast makes the broth creamy while adding fiber and protein.

Ingredients

  • 16 oz of Immunity Broth (or any preferred broth that has no salt added or is very low sodium, a mushroom-based broth is ideal)

  • 1 tsp Shio Koji (the brand I use)

  • 1 tsp Methodology x Omiso Yuzu Miso available in our Grocery section (or a white miso paste)

  • 15g Nutritional Yeast (the brand I use)

  • 1/2 tsp Umami Powder (the brand I use)

  • 1 tbsp Methodology Matcha Nori Furikake (available in our Grocery section)

  • 1 tbsp hijiki seaweed (the brand I use)

  • Ramen Noodles (millet + brown rice noodles from Lotus Foods)

  • 1 cup of any cooked veggies you have on hand (I like steamed kabocha)

  • 1 handful of any fresh greens you have on hand (I like baby tatsoi)

  • 1c filtered water to add more liquid as the broth evaporates during cooking

  • 60g cubed tempeh (I like Lightlife original flavor, available in nearly ever grocery market in the tofu section)

  • (optional) 1/2 tsp shichimi togarashi if you like your food spicy (my favorite)

  • (optional) Edible flowers for garnish (I like garlic blossoms for flavor and aesthetics)

  • (optional) Sliced chili peppers if you like your food spicy

Instructions

  1. Add broth to pot and taste test it to see how salty it is.

  2. Add shio koji, miso paste, umami powder, and nutritional yeast. Taste the broth after adding each ingredient to make sure it doesn’t taste salty. If it begins to taste too salty, add water.

  3. Add 1 cup of water, then bring to a boil. Then add ramen noodles and hijiki and reduce heat to simmer.

  4. When noodles aren’t fully cooked but are still al dente, add your veggies, tempeh, and greens. When noodles are cooked, remove from heat.

  5. Top with matcha nori furikake, chilis, shichimi togarashi, edible flowers, and sliced chili peppers.