spicy vegan kimchi and mushroom ramen

Upon first bite, I couldn’t tell you why it took me so long to try kimchi.

For real. I love most fermented foods, especially sauerkraut. It’s the sour, bitter German in me. I guess I never had cause to pick up a jar of kimchi before since I don’t cook Korean dishes usually, and I still wouldn’t really call this ramen Korean either. But the combination of mushrooms and kimchi and a hot, warm red broth seemed the right thing to do.

Now, what isn’t the right thing to do is throw cinnamon in a batch of white chili instead of smoked paprika. That happened today. Real fucken graceful, self. Had to chuck the whole batch because that shit was inedible.

So right now, instead of dwelling on a lost dish, we’ll celebrate bowls of vegan ramen. We’ve a couple good ramen places around us, but I like making it at home since you can more easily pile on fun toppings and most of the components are far less inexpensive and a bigger payoff than going out for a bowl. As with most of my concepts lately, this vegan ramen is really simple, uses accessible ingredients, and tastes like a giant spoonful of comfort in every slurp.

As you may have guessed, my favorite part is the heaps of kimchi on top. It just accentuates the kicky broth, which is infused with red miso and red curry paste for a deeply rich and interesting flavor profile. You can top each bowl however you want, but I seem to always have cilantro and green onions around nowadays (three fucking bags of the latter right now, to be exact) so those are a given for me. Use what you like and what you’ve got!

Shroom Doom

The main heft of the ramen comes from plump sauteed mushrooms. I actually like using all shiitakes for ramen, but I understand that this isn’t financially or accessibly practical for everyone, so a mix of shiitakes and cremini/baby bella mushrooms is just dandy, too.

Cook up the mushrooms in the soup pot undisturbed for a bit, then stir in some vegan butter or coconut oil and chili crisp. I typically have a batch of chili crisp around since a batch makes plenty and I don’t use a lot at once. My recipe lives in the “notes” section of the recipe card below!

Pull the mushrooms out of the pot and add in some garlic, ginger, and shallots. Then, swirl in red curry paste and red miso paste, and pour in lots of veggie broth, some soy sauce, and coconut milk for creaminess. Simmer all that together for a bit to let each flavor mingle. You can also keep the heat low, cover the broth, and keep warm on the stove for a few hours for a seriously intense base. Just keep an eye on the liquid level and add water or broth as needed.

Finish the pot of broth with a couple handfuls of fresh spinach. Green shit is good shit.

To Bowl or Not To Bowl

As far as the noodles go, you’ve two options for cooking them.

If you plan to serve the ramen right away with little to no leftovers, cook the noodles directly in the broth to reduce dishes. Alternately, if you want to meal prep the ramen or save some for later at any rate, boil a second pot of water and cook the noodles separately.

Whichever you choose, cook up the ramen at this point. Then it’s time to eaaaaaaat.

Dump in some noodles and broth, lots of kimchi, and mushrooms. Like I said, put atop your bowl whatever sounds nice to you. Some extra chili crisp won’t hurt (unless you don’t like spice, then don’t), and a good hit of crunchy sesame seeds is a-ok. Chopped basil, chopped cilantro, green onions, bamboo shoots, a partridge in a pear tree, water chestnuts…all is acceptable. Corn, carrots. I could keep going. But I won’t.

Sadly, our weather is heating up, so soup cravings might be diminishing for me. Not to fear though, I’ve a big fat ugly backlog of not ugly soups and stews to share in upcoming weeks. And some other shit. Woop woop.

Tried this recipe out? Leave a rating and comment below with your thoughts, and don’t forget to come say hi on Instagram and show me what you made!

Zoop!

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spicy vegan kimchi and mushroom ramen

Saucy, juicy noodles packed with spicy kimchi and chili oil and tender, thick mushrooms. Perfect colorful bowl for cozy days.

5 from 1 vote

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 15 mins

Cook Time 25 mins

Total Time 40 mins

Course Main Course, Soup

Servings 6

Ingredients

  

• 4 cups mixed mushrooms (I used shiitakes and cremini)
• 1 tbsp vegan butter or coconut oil
• 2 tsp chili oil (see recipe in notes)
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tbsp fresh ginger, minced
• 2 shallots, minced
• 1/4 cup red curry paste
• 2 tbsp red miso paste
• 8 cups vegetable broth, or water
• 1/3 cup lower sodium soy sauce
• 1 cup canned full-fat coconut milk
• 3-4 blocks ramen noodles, seasoning packet discarded
• 2 cups fresh spinach
• 1 cup kimchi
• green onions, cilantro, and sesame seeds, to serve

Instructions

 

• Heat 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil in a large pot or Dutch oven. Add the mushrooms and cook undisturbed for 5 minutes. Add in the vegan butter or coconut oil, the chili crisp, and 2 tablespoons of soy sauce. Stir, and cook an additional 2-3 minutes until caramelized. Move the mushrooms to a bowl.
• To the same pot, add the garlic, ginger, and shallots. Stir 1 minute. Swirl in the curry paste and miso paste, then add the broth, soy sauce, and coconut milk. Bring to a simmer and heat for 10-15 minutes. Stir in the spinach.
• Drop in the blocks of ramen noodles and cook until softened, about 3-4 minutes (check the box for exact cooking times).
• Divide the noodles and broth among bowls. Top with kimchi, green onions, chopped cilantro, and extra chili oil, as desired.

Notes

*Chili oil: In a heatproof bowl, toss together 6 garlic cloves, 2 tablespoons minced fresh ginger, 3-4 tablespoons red pepper flakes, and a cinnamon stick. Heat 1/2 cup canola or peanut oil until shimmering. Pour the hot oil over the herbs, it will bubble aggressively. Let sit at least an hour.

*If storing leftovers: The noodles will absorb much of the broth if left to sit too long. If you plan to have leftovers for meal prep, cook the noodles in a separate pot of boiling water and add to the broth as you serve.

Keyword healthy, kimchi, main course, mushrooms, noodles, ramen, soup, vegan, vegetarian