Ramen noodle soup is a classic Japanese dish. Almost everyone knows the soup, which originally comes from China. I myself am not a big fan of Asian cuisine, so I created my very own ramen recipe. A vegetarian ramen soup with green asparagus and mushrooms.
What is Ramen?
Ramen refers to both the typical Japanese noodles and the soup that is prepared with them.
Ramen noodles
Ramen is long, thin noodles similar to spaghetti. They are usually very wavy, making it easier to grip them with chopsticks. The wavy noodles come in a pre-cooked and dried block. This is only placed in hot water for a few minutes and is then ready to eat. For this reason, they are also called instant noodles.
Unlike regular noodles, ramen is made from wheat flour. Alkaline water (also Kansui) is also used in the production process. This provides a special taste, and a yellowish color, and gives the noodles a special bite.
You can now get ramen noodles in every supermarket in the Asia corner. At the discounter, they are usually only available during special offer weeks. Of course, you will also find what you are looking for in the Asian market. Alternatively, you can also use thin spaghetti or other soup noodles for this ramen recipe.
Traditional ramen soup – different types
Instant noodles are the main ingredient of the noodle soup of the same name. Ramen soup is very spicy and can taste very different depending on the ingredients you choose. It is traditionally eaten with chopsticks and a spoon. But to be honest, I tend to use a fork and spoon.
In addition to the ramen noodles, the soup consists of a broth as a base, side dishes in the form of vegetables, fish, meat, eggs, or cheese, and toppings such as spring onions, sesame seeds, sprouts, nuts or herbs.
There are four different types of ramen noodle soup. Depending on the type of broth, there are:
- Shoyu ramen – broth seasoned with soy sauce.
- Miso Ramen – broth flavored with miso paste. This is a paste made from fermented soybeans.
- Shio-Ramen – broth seasoned only with salt and often based on fish and seafood.
- Tonkotsu Ramen – broth made from pork bones.
For my recipe for vegetarian ramen soup, I opted for the most well-known version. Shuyo ramen is probably the most common as well, as soy sauce and broth can be found in pretty much every home. The broth I use here is a very simple instant vegetable broth.
Make your own ramen soup
With the instant dishes in the supermarket or Asian market, you will find countless different colorful bags and cups. Just pour some boiling water over it and after a few minutes, the noodle soup is ready. This is of course practical, but as is well known, it still tastes best when you make it yourself.😉
With a homemade Shuyo ramen soup, you can also decide for yourself which ingredients are included. This a very important point for me, because I don’t like many of the typical ingredients. So forgive me if this isn’t a truly traditional recipe. But I like it so much that I cook it at least once a week.
For the homemade ramen, you first have to decide which ingredients you want to use. If you have everything together, the dish is very easy and quick to make. The side dishes are simply fried, either directly in a large pot or wok pan or separately if you want them to stay nice and crispy. Then the broth is added, which is well seasoned. And then the ramen noodles are used.🙂
The instant noodles are simply placed in the hot broth and after a few minutes, they are already cooked. Arranged in a deep plate or a bowl, all that is missing is the toppings and separately prepared side dishes.
Spring noodle soup
Even if the soup is more of an autumn and winter dish, the trending dish ramen is suitable for every season. I like to eat this noodle soup in spring and there is a very specific reason for that: At this time it is finally asparagus season again and I love asparagus recipes!
Now, asparagus is not a typical side dish in a ramen soup. Honestly, I’ve never seen ramen with asparagus anywhere. But I promise you, if you like perennial vegetables, this goes really well.
In addition to green asparagus, I also add brown mushrooms to my shoyu ramen. Fortunately, you can always buy them here in Germany. If it’s not asparagus season at the moment, the soup tastes good with just mushrooms. Carrots and broccoli are also great in my recipe.
In addition to the vegetables, I like to use halloumi as the main side dish. Smoked tofu also goes very well here if it is supposed to be vegan.
VEGETARIAN RAMEN SOUP
This Vegetarian Ramen Soup with Green Asparagus, Mushrooms, and Halloumi is so delicious it’s addictive! Try the recipe now and see for yourself.
- 75 G halloumi or grilled cheese
- 0.5 bunch of green asparagus
- 125 G brown mushrooms
- 0.5 red onions
- 0.75 tsp tbsp oil
- 1.5 cloves of garlic
- 0.5 tsp brown sugar
- 1.5 tsp soy sauce
- instant ramen noodles
- pepper
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Dice the halloumi. Break off the ends of the asparagus and cut the rest of the asparagus in thirds or in half (depending on the length). Clean and slice the mushrooms.
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Fry the halloumi cubes in a pan. When the cheese is slightly brown, add the mushrooms and sauté until all the liquid has evaporated and everything is nicely browned. Season lightly with salt and pepper.
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Fry the asparagus in ½ tbsp oil. After 5 minutes, deglaze with 1-2 tablespoons of water and let this evaporate at medium temperature. Season lightly with salt and pepper.
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Peel the red onion, halve it, and cut it into thin strips. Sauté in a large saucepan with 1 tbsp oil.
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Peel the garlic and press it into the onions. Fry briefly.
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Add the sugar and let it caramelize for 2 minutes.
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Add the broth and bring it to a boil. Season with salt and pepper.
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Then set the stove to medium and add the instant noodles. After about 4 minutes (depending on the pasta, see packaging instructions) stir and test whether the pasta is already cooked.
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When everything is ready, first divide the noodles between two plates. Arrange the asparagus, halloumi, and mushrooms on top and pour the broth over them.
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Serve with black cumin.
- The asparagus can also be prepared in the oven. You can find a suitable recipe here.
- If you don’t get the individual components prepared at the same time and the side dishes have already cooled down a bit, you can simply add them to the finished noodles and let them get really hot again in the broth.
- It is also possible to fry the mushrooms and asparagus together with the onions, so you only need one large pot. To do this, add the prepared side dishes to the onions and garlic according to step 5 and fry them for a few minutes. I would always fry the halloumi separately because it works best that way.