Vegetarian Shoyu Ramen Recipe with Myojo Noodle Kit

Over the past few weeks I have been indulging myself with Halloween candy, birthday celebration meals and stress eating from the election. I needed a break from heavy foods and wanted a clean ramen to cleanse my senses with something a little healthier. I ditched the fatty pork belly and opted for a vegetarian ramen.

I have been using ramen kits lately for the times where I do not have time to make ramen from scratch or do not want to grab take out from a local ramen shop. Kits have some great fresh ramen noodles and a concentrated soup base that is essentially tare. They keep well in the freezer so they have been great during quarantine. I had this Vegetarian Shoyu Ramen kit from Myojo in my freezer ready to go.

A very common ingredient for vegetarian ramen are tomatoes as they are full of natural umami. When you roast them, you concentrate that flavor even more and it becomes an explosion of flavor. I have some leftover shiso leaves, which can be considered as Japanese basil, so it made sense that I roast it together with the tomatoes. It has the same flavor profile as basil but has an anise kick that gives shiso its own distinct flavor. If you are not able to find shiso at your local asian market, you can easily substitute it with basil.

Tofu is the obvious choice for a vegetarian dish because it is a good source of protein and is very versatile. I like to freeze my tofu to give it more of meaty texture. The water inside the tofu will expand and form crystals that creates a bunch of pockets inside. It turns it into a delicious sponge that will soak up all of the flavors around it. Pro tip: Keep a few blocks of tofu in the freezer and defrost it by putting it in the fridge 24 hours prior to when you plan to cook with it. It takes a little bit of planning but it can change your tofu game completely.

The final piece of the bowl were the shimeji mushrooms. I like using shimeji mushrooms when I can as they have a great rich and earth flavor and very tender. Crimini mushrooms work great as well and can be found in most super markets. I love sauteeing them with garlic and splashing them with soy sauce and sake or white wine at the end.

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Vegetarian Shoyu Ramen Recipe w/ myojo kit

The toppings:

Roasted Tomatoes

• 1 handful of cherry tomatoes (about 12)

• 2 shiso leaves

• 1 clove of garlic

• Olive oil

• Salt

Preheat your oven to 375 F. Slice your cherry tomatoes in half and place in a bowl with chopped garlic, salt, olive oil, and finely chopped shiso leaves. Lay out on a foil lined baking sheet and place in the oven for 20 to 25 minutes.

Crispy Tofu

• 1 block of frozen firm tofu

• 2 tbsp of corn starch

• Salt

• White pepper

• Soy Sauce

Cut your thawed frozen tofu into rectangles. Start by cutting it in half height-wise (like a hamburger bun). Then cut width-wise into 4 even bricks. Press down to squeeze out as much water as you can. Dust with salt, white pepper and corn starch. You just want to lightly coat it with corn starch which will help it form a crust. Heat up some oil in a pan on medium and place the tofu in one layer and sear on each side. It should take 2 minutes per side and you will need to add a little bit of oil before you turn to a new side. After all sides are crisp, add a splash of soy sauce to the outside of the pan and gentle mix your tofu to season the tofu. You do not want to tofu too salty as the broth will soak into it and flavor it as you eat it.

Shimeji Mushrooms

• 4 oz. of shimeji mushrooms

• 1 clove of garlic

• 1 tsp Salt

• 1 tbsp Soy sauce

• Sake/White wine

Trim the bottom of your shimeji mushrooms and separate into individual pieces. Mince your garlic and add to a pan on medium heat with oil. After 30 seconds add the mushrooms and salt and give them a quick stir. Let them sear for 1-2 minutes then stir them regularly to ensure that the garlic does not burn. Once they all look shiny and smooth, add a splash of sake and soy sauce. Stir fry until they have browned.

The ramen:

Myojo Vegetarian Shoyu Ramen Kit

• 2 servings of noodles

• 2 soup packets

• Boiling Water

Boil two pots of water. Cook the noodles in one pot for 1.5 minutes. Pour the soup base into each of your bowl and add 1.25 cups of boil water to each. I like to heat my soup packets in the boiling water to ensure that it doesn’t cool down my bowl the packet is coming straight out of the fridge. Top with tofu, shimeji mushrooms, tomatoes, toasted seaweed and sliced green onions. If you want to give it a kick you can pour a little bit of chili oil on top.

This post was sponsored by Myojo USA. All opinions expressed in this post are based on my own views.