Vegetarian Ramen

Vancouver is a culinary gold mine when it comes to food; especially Asian cuisine.  If someone were to ask where to find the best of Asian cuisine in Canada, chances are they will say Vancouver (I’m not biased!).   From Ramen to sushi there is no shortage of restaurants on every city block.   Everyone I know craves sushi after a late night out,  ramen on a cold day…

….and then there is me.

I never tried Ramen in my life until this year. I know what you are thinking and No,  I didn’t live under a rock.  Delicious noodles, spicy broth, fresh veggies and topped off with an egg (what on earth can be better?!).

Since then, I have had the craving to eat Ramen daily ( I know, it’s bad.. but I have years to make up for).

The best thing about Ramen? You can do any toppings you like. Sometimes I garnish with radish or swap out the Asian greens.  It’s really up to your own imagination. So as Texan and I  are still eating vegetarian, and I’m trying to make exciting vegetarian dishes, I decided to whip up a ‘meat-free’ Ramen ready in less than 30 minutes.  Check it out!

Directions:

For the Eggs

In a medium pot, fill with water on high heat until water starts to boil.  Once water is boiling, place eggs in pot and cook for 7 minutes. While the eggs are cooking, get a bowl with ice water.  Pull eggs out and place in ice water bath to stop the cooking. Once eggs are cool, carefully peel and  set aside.

For the broth

In a medium-sized pot on medium-high heat, add sesame oil, olive oil, minced ginger and minced garlic.  Sauté for  1 minute then add soy sauce, mirin and vegetable stock. Cook for approx. 5 minutes.  Add thinly sliced peppers and bok choy to the broth and cook for 1 minute.

For the Noodles

While broth is cooking use the hot water for the eggs to cook your Ramen noodles. Bring water back to a boil, add noodles and cook until just tender ( about 2-3 minutes ) then strain noodles and set aside.

To Serve

In a Ramen  bowl (or any other deep bowl) add noodles, peppers, bok choy, carrots and corn. Top with broth until noodles are almost covered.  Add bean sprouts and garnish with green onion and thinly sliced serrano peppers.  Add chili flakes for some extra heat.

Enjoy!