Vegan Miso Sesame Ramen

I was nostalgic about the good times at UCLA going to some of the best ramen spots in the city (recs: Daikokuya, Tsujita, Tatsu). I've never had Japanese food before, so I got to experience a new array of flavors, and I loved it. I tried to recreate my favorite miso sesame vegan ramen from Daikokuya using ingredients that I could easily find, so here is my interpretation. This ramen turned out STRONG, so if you're looking for intense flavor, this is it. If that's not your taste, I recommend diluting the vegetable stock, reducing soy sauce, or cutting down on the miso.

Adapted from Cilantro & Citronella and Moon and Spoon and Yum.

Ingredients

• 4 c (1 L) vegetable stock (use 3 c stock, 1 c water for lighter flavor)

• 7 oz tofu (1/2 block)

• 4 large button mushrooms

• 4 large broccoli florets

• 1/2 t garlic paste

• 1/2 t ginger paste

• 4 servings ramen noodles

• 4 T soy sauce

• 1 T miso (reduce if using actual miso paste, I'm using a soup starter that's diluted)

• 1 T + 1 t rice vinegar

• 1/2 t red chili sauce

• 6 T tahini (sub sesame seeds)

• 2 eggs (optional)

Directions

1. Chop the tofu into thin squares. Lightly fry until golden and crispy. Set aside.

2. Chop mushrooms into slices and broccoli into small pieces. Sauté until cooked. Push vegetables to side of the pan and cook garlic and ginger paste until aromatic. Mix together and set aside. If you prefer the garlic and ginger to be spread through the broth, do not mix with the veggies and set aside instead.

3. Heat vegetable broth on low heat on the side while preparing other ingredients. We want the broth to be hot in the end.

4. Mix together soy sauce, miso, rice vinegar, red chili sauce, and tahini (if not using sesame seeds).

5. If using sesame seeds instead of tahini, lightly toast seeds until golden. Blend in a food processor until a paste or a ground meal form.

6. If using the sesame seeds, add the soy sauce mixture to the food processor and blend until a paste is made. Set aside.

7. Boil 1 L of water and cook the ramen noodles until 90% done. Drain the water from the noodles and transfer to the hot broth. If using egg, crack eggs over noodle mixture while stirring to make them stringy and keep mixing until eggs are cooked. Mix in soy sauce/sesame/miso paste into the broth. Turn off the heat and let noodles sit for 1-2 minute to absorb flavor.

8. Serve noodles in a bowl with plenty of broth. Top with tofu and vegetables.