Super easy vegan and vegetarian ramen recipe

Lovers of Wagamama will know that ramen is a Japanese dish comprising of noodles and some form of broth with added vegetables and/or meat. This kind of dish is perfect for students to recreate, as it requires minimal skill, minimal time and minimal money!

If you want to cook up this fresh, simple and super tasty meal, follow this quick recipe.

Ingredients

• Miso paste – this comes in either sachets or jars. If you’re using miso from a jar, you’ll need around a tablespoon.
• Dried noodles – I use rice noodles but there are loads of options. Udon noodles, which are very thick, are also a great choice.
• Mushrooms – you can use any mushrooms (I use chestnut), but if you want the real deal you can find shitake mushrooms in most Chinese supermarkets. There’s a great one called WH Lung just behind the Schuster Building on main Campus!
• Protein – if you’re vegan, tofu is a great option here. Vegetarians could also use Quorn, but any chicken alternative would work!
• Pak Choi – this is a Chinese leaf which you might think sounds obscure, but you can actually get it in most supermarkets, including Lidl.
• Greens – spring onions, fresh coriander, mint and basil.
• Soy Sauce to add to the broth.
• A squeeze of lime juice.

Method

1. First slice the mushroom and chop your choice of protein into whatever size you like. Cook in a frying pan using oil, until the mushrooms are have gone soft all the way through and your protein is golden and slightly crispy, then put to one side. (You can use any oil, but if you want to go all out, sesame oil is the best for East Asian dishes!)

2. Bring a pot of water to the boil, then turn the heat down so it is lightly simmering. Add the noodles to this water, along with the miso paste. Stirring the miso paste in so it dissolves, then add around a tablespoon of soy sauce to the broth.

3. Once your noodles feel like they’re almost cooked through, add your pak choi. I like to add the leaves in whole, so I just chop the bottom of the plant off and add it straight away.

4. Once your noodles are cooked and the pak choi has wilted, transfer this noodle soup into a large bowl. Now you can add your mushrooms and protein.

5. Garnish the bowl with your mint, coriander, basil and spring onions, followed by a squirt of lime juice over the top. If you like heat – you can also add chilli flakes at this point as well.

6. Grab a ramen ladle or a big spoon and some chop sticks and tuck in