Vegan Shoyu Ramen

5 from 6 votes

If you’re craving for some ramen, this easy Vegan Shoyu Ramen is sure to satisfy those cravings. Not only is it perfectly warm and hearty, but the clear broth is umami-packed from the kombu and mushrooms. This ramen is topped with some homemade “Char Siu” Mushrooms that I made using a mix of fresh shiitake and oyster mushrooms.

Print Recipe Pin this Recipe

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 30

Total Time 40

Course Main Course

Cuisine Asian, Japanese

Servings

Calories 505 kcal

Ingredients

Broth

1 tbsp sesame oil
3 cloves garlic minced
1 inch ginger grated or minced
5 cups vegetable broth or water (see notes)
1 piece/sheet kombu sliced into 2x2” pieces (see notes)
4 dried shiitake mushrooms
1 tbsp sake or other rice wine
2-3 tbsp soy sauce , adjust to taste
1 tsp dark soy sauce optional
2 tsp sugar
Salt to taste

“Char Siu” Mushrooms

150 g fresh mushrooms of choice sliced (I used a mix of shiitake and oyster mushrooms)
1 tsp sesame oil
1 tbsp soy sauce
2 1/2 tbsp brown sugar
1/2 tbs sake or mirin

Noodles

2 servings fresh ramen noodles or dried ramen noodles, see notes

Toppings

Mushroom “Char Siu” (recipe above)
Chopped green onions or scallions
Shiitake mushrooms and kombu (from broth), sliced
Vegan “fish” cakes (store-bought), sliced
Sesame seeds
Nori sheets (I cut mine into rectangular pieces)
Japanese chilli oil for spice (rayu)

Instructions

Broth

To prepare the broth, start by heating a medium or large pot over medium heat.
Add the sesame oil.
Once hot, sauté the garlic and ginger until aromatic, around 1-2 minutes.
Add in the vegetable broth, dried mushrooms, and kombu.
Add the sake, soy sauces, and sugar.
Cover the pot and leave the broth to boil over medium high heat, around 5-8 minutes. Once it boils, leave to simmer over medium heat for the remaining time, around 20 minutes, while you prepare the toppings and noodles.
Taste the broth and season with more soy sauce or salt, to taste, if needed.
When the kombu and mushrooms are tender, you can remove these from the soup. I let mine cool for a few minutes before thinly slicing these. I added the kombu as topping for my ramen.

Mushroom “Char Siu”

While the broth is simmering, heat a small or medium non-stick pan over medium heat.
Add in the sesame oil, soy sauce, sake/mirin, and sugar. Leave to cook over low to medium heat and mix continuously until the sugar starts to dissolve.
Once the sugar has dissolved, add in the mushrooms. Mix the mushrooms to coat in the sugary glaze.
Leave the mushrooms to cook down for 4-5 minutes until these are tender.
You can turn up the heat to medium high heat and leave the mushrooms untouched to get the mushrooms nice and golden brown. Keep an eye on the mushrooms during this time since these can easily burn due to the sugar and high heat.
Once golden brown throughout, turn off the heat and then set the mushrooms aside for topping later on.

Noodles

For the noodles, I used fresh instant ramen noodles that came vacuum sealed. These can be blanched in the hot broth to separate the noodle “cakes” and don’t require to be boiled since they’re already chewy enough to be added into the soup.
If you’re using dried noodles or other type of noodles, it would be best to follow the package instructions since some types of noodles can make the broth starchy if cooked directly in it. So I would recommend cooking dry noodles in a separate pot of water until still very chewy and then run these through water quickly to rinse off any starch. So it would be best to check with the recommended preparation for the type of noodles you’re using.
Once your noodles are ready, divide these into the 2 bowls.

Assembling the Ramen Bowls

Over the noodles, add in the toppings of of your choice.
Pour over the soup. Divide these into the 2 bowls.
Top with chili oil, sesame seeds, and nori sheets (if using).
Enjoy immediately while hot!

Notes

BROTH

If using water for the broth, you will need to season the broth with more soy sauce or salt, to taste.

Kombu

There are different types of kombu depending on what you have access to. My kombu was thin so I was able to cut these up into smaller pieces using some scissors. It’s best to cut these into smaller pieces or at least make some cuts into the large sheet/piece for the flavours to seep out during cooking.
Also, do NOT wash your kombu. The white powdery layer on the kombu is naturally occurring and is what adds to the umami flavour when cooked down.
How to use leftover kombu: You can make some kombu tsukudani or simmered kombu! I love this with rice or as a side dish.

Noodles

For the noodles, I used fresh instant ramen noodles that came vacuum sealed. These can be blanched in the hot broth to separate the noodle “cakes” and don’t require to be boiled since they’re already chewy enough to be added into the soup.
If you’re using dried noodles or other type of noodles, it would be best to follow the package instructions since some types of noodles can make the broth starchy if cooked directly in it. So I would recommend cooking dry noodles in a separate pot of water until still very chewy and then run these through water quickly to rinse off any starch. So it would be best to check with the recommended preparation for the type of noodles you’re using.

You can use just 1 pot for this recipe

If doing so, you can cook the mushrooms in the pot first then just set it aside before using the same pot for the broth. If using dried noodles, you can cook it in the same pot with water and just set the noodles aside before working on the broth. I would highly recommend cooking the noodles until these still have a very good bite. This way you can blanch the noodles in the soup later on to heat them before separating into 2 bowls. Though of course using only 1 pot will take longer than the indicated 30 minute cook time since you’ll have to wait for the char siu mushrooms and noodles to cook before you can prepare the broth.

NUTRITIONAL INFO

DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE?Please leave a rating or comment and share a photo on Instagram, and tag me @thefoodietakesflight or use #thefoodietakesflight :)