Ramen was such a household staple of ours back in the day. Only, our ramen looked a lot like this: I'm not trying to discredit prepackaged ramen (okay, maybe a little), but it had it's place in my life and now I've moved on... Actually, I ate this type of ramen far into my college years. This is quite a common dorm staple, as many people know. There was something amazing about instant salty soup with tons of noodles in it after a long night of...studying... When I became vegan, I realized that prepackaged goods like ramen are probably best as a "last resort" food (like, if the zombies show up). When I tried cooking gluten-free, I was ready to give up ramen forever. That is, until I found this amazing product: Yes, there is finally an organic, gluten-free and vegan ramen noodle on the market! Lotus Foods has a few different varieties of gluten-free ramen. They sell family packs like this one and also single-serve packs! I really loved the quality of these noodles. The shape of the noodle patty is very similar to what I was used to seeing. This variety is a bit more "wavy" than "curly", but it looks good all the same! The noodles cook up in about the same amount of time as regular ramen, about 4 minutes or so. I prepared my soup before cooking the noodles to avoid over-cooking. Gluten-free noodles and pasta must be cooked al dente or under or they become mush. =( The texture of the Lotus ramen was very similar to regular ramen. I thought there was a lack of oily quality, but that's a good thing in my book! I compensated for the lack of oil in the noodles by adding a little olive oil into my broth. This is totally optional, but I think it made the dish taste more rich and authentic. The soup that I made for my ramen dish is very robust and velvety. If there is too much salt in it for your taste, you can dial back the tamari and miso, but be aware that it will lose some flavor. Cooking the soup with more mushrooms might help this! I hope you enjoy this ramen as much as I did. It's been a very long time since I've had a homemade noodle soup like this and it's so comforting! Eating a bowl of noodles like this is best done on a chilly fall evening with a good book. ^_^ For garnish, I used thinly sliced red beets, gomashio (sesame salt), and marinated kamaboko-style tofu (fish cake). Kamaboko is a processed fish product that is often used for garnishing dishes in Japan. It has a spongy texture and a slightly sweet umami taste. I marinated some extra-firm tofu in dulse seaweed, ume vinegar, and mirin to achieve a similar flavor. I also added some sliced beet to the marinade for a slight pink color. Many kamaboko have white and pink colors to them. (I'm not really sure why...) You may leave the garnishes off of your soup, but they really are a fun way to liven up your dish! The sweet earthy flavor of the beets cut through the salty miso, the tofu provides a little sweetness and texture (as well as protein!), and the gomashio adds texture and color. Play around and add other types of garnishes to your ramen! Raw scallion, nutritional yeast, umeboshi, shredded carrot, bean sprouts...the possibilities are endless! Gluten-Free Miso RamenYield: about 1-2 servings Broth recipe adapted from Kansha by Elizabeth Andoh Ingredients Soup
Instructions
Kamaboko-style Marinated Tofu Ingredients
Instructions
Slurp your way to happiness! ^_^ 9/28/2014 11:27:15 am
Ooh, that looks delicious! I've been meaning to make ramen more often, it's just I live right around the corner from a strip of delicious and cheap Japanese, Vietnamese and Thai restaurants! Even one vegetarian msg-free one and a vegan one. But I do need to have more control! I used to eat the packet noodles a bit in my uni days too...there really is no substance to them. Sometimes I still buy a pack and put them at the back of my cupboard for when I come home from a night out drinking.
Jessica Weidman
9/29/2014 03:57:11 am
That's great that you have those options! I never get to have ramen out so I have to make it...but it's okay because I get to put whatever I want in it! Yes packaged ramen is good for times like that...haha! Thanks for reading! :) Comments are closed.
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I'm Jess!This is my very first food blog! I post revised conventional recipes of foods that I hold near and dear to my heart. My cooking here is all gluten-free and cruelty-free, but full of flavor and comfort. Archives
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