Vegan pumpkin ramen

Step 1

Place rice vinegar in a small bowl and finely grate a clove of garlic into it, set aside until needed.

Step 2

Heat up the oven 220° C / 425° F (or 20° C / 70° F less if using fan function) and grab a large baking tray.

Step 3

Cut the top of the garlic head off to expose the cloves, drizzle with ½ tsp of oil, wrap in kitchen foil and pop on the baking tray.

Step 4

Peel your pumpkin (unless the skin is tender and edible), and cut into 2.5 cm / 1 inch cubes. Place in a mixing bowl (keep it afterwards for the next step) and stir 2 tsp of oil through it. Scatter on the baking tray and pop into the oven for 15 minutes.

Step 5

Throw a whole chilli and unpeeled ginger cut into 2 slices into the bowl with residual oil, toss to coat. Cut shallot in half (keep the skin on) and brush the underside with a bit of oil.

Step 6

After 15 minutes, flip pumpkin pieces to the other side. Add chilli, ginger slices and shallot (cut side down) to the baking tray. Bake for further 15 minutes - until pumpkin, chilli and the underside of the shallot look charred and ginger is soft. If some ingredients are ready before others, remove them from the baking tray.

Step 7

As soon as chilli is ready, place it under a small bowl for 5 minutes - the steam will help to take the skin off. Skin it and remove the seeds if you don't want too much heat. Peel the ginger and shallots. Place them in a blender with charred pumpkin and squeezed out garlic cloves.

Step 8

Add soy milk, a stock cube, miso paste and garlic steeped in vinegar to the blender. Blend until smooth then transfer to a large pot.

Step 9

Add approximately 2.5 cups (600 ml) of water to the pot to give the soup the right consistency - you want the soup thick and nourishing but not like a cream of soup. Taste and season with soy sauce (or salt) and mirin (or maple syrup).

Step 10

Warm the soup up just before you are ready to plate.

Step 11

Prepare your favourite tofu. For ease, I use shop-bought premarinated tofu that I just whack into the oven (alongside pumpkin), but you could also make a simple tofu yourself. I marinate well-pressed tofu in a simple marinade (2 tbsp soy sauce, 2 tbsp mirin, 2 tbsp cooking sake) for as long as I can, then coat it in potato starch and pan-fry in oil.

Step 12

Boil a pot water and grab a bamboo steamer. Prepare broccoli by cutting them into bite-size segments and slicing stems in half vertically.

Step 13

Once the water comes to a boil, place prepared brocolli in the steamer above the pot. Cook until knife tender, approximately 7 minutes.

Step 14

Boil the noodles in the water underneath the steamer. My pre-cooked Seven Moons ramen noodles needed 2 minutes, follow the instructions on your packet.

Step 15

Divide noodles and hot soup between bowls, top with sliced of tofu, steamed broccoli, thinly sliced radish and spring onions. Scatter some sesame seeds on top and drizzle with chilli oil (or toasted sesame oil if you do not like heat).