Vegan Ramen (dare I say Ayurveda-style? 😃)

What makes it Ayurvedic? The dish is appropriately spiced and simmered to balance all six tastes of its ingredients!

All I can say is this recipe feeds a crowd!

Easily a meal for four.  While the prep is quick (under 20 minutes tops!), the key to a complex and flavorful broth is in the simmer.  So be patient.  It pays off! 

Ingredients and prep for broth: 

• 1 large red onion

• Few cloves garlic, and 1 thumb sized piece of ginger - peeled, thinly sliced

• Several stalks celery, 3 carrots, 1 red pepper, thinly sliced

• 1 sheet Nori seaweed, torn into pieces - this adds a ton of Umami so don't skip

• 2-3 tablespoons of a white miso (I used a chickpea miso)

Put all the veggies on a sheet pan, and drizzle of a couple of tablespoons virgin sesame oil; add the miso and toss to coat all the veggies liberallyPut pan under the broiler at 500 F for about 7 minutes, keeping an eye; when the veggies start to sear mildly and the onions looks almost roasted, remove pan from oven.

Broth

• Bring a stockpot with about 10 cups of water to a boil.

• When the roasted veggies are ready, add to the stock pot.

• Now start building up flavor complexity - I added several dashes rice vinegar, Tamari sauce, another couple of tablespoons of white miso. I also added diced, firm sprouted tofu.

• Let the stock SIMMER slowly for about an hour reducing to almost 2/3rds.

Noodle

Now add a dry noodle of choice.  I used a very thin Asian rice noodle I can buy at the Indian store. Continue to simmer until the noodles are done - keep an eye so they don't overcook.  The stock would now have reduced to about half.  Taste test and adjust seasonings.

Some optional taste notes - 1/2 - 1 cup plain soy milk to the finished broth, fermented bean paste, Japanese red chili in oil. Garnish with finely chopped fresh cilantro and scallions.