Vegan Tsukemen (Dipping Ramen)

Step 1

If you’re making the king oyster mushroom shredded “chicken”, preheat the oven to 425F (220C).

Step 2

Bring a large pot of water to a boil and cook the noodles until just done. For fresh noodles this should take 2-3 minutes of boiling. Drain the noodles when done and give them a rinse under the tap with cold water. Set them aside to cool. You can cover and refrigerate them if you prefer them chilled.

Step 3

While waiting for the water for the noodles to boil, you can prepare the mushroom. Use a fork to carve deep slits in 4 sides of the mushroom stem. Use your hands to pull apart the strands and shred the mushroom. Place the mushroom strands on a lined baking sheet in a single layer. Spray briefly with oil and season with salt and pepper, stirring as you do both.

Step 4

Heat the peanut (or neutral cooking) oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. When hot, add the ginger and garlic. Stir until the herbs are nearly cooked through, 4-5 minutes.

Step 5

Add the miso and doubanjiang. Mix it with the ginger and garlic to form an even paste. Stir until the paste is slightly browned, 3-4 minutes.

Step 6

Add the cashews or cashew butter. If using cashews, stir and cook until the cashews are blended with the paste and slightly toasted, 4-5 minutes. If using cashew butter, stir until the butter is integrated with the other paste and slightly toasted, 2-3 minutes.

Step 7

Pour in the sake (or water) and stir well to scrape up any bits stuck to the bottom of the saucepan.

Step 8

Turn off the heat and stir in the vegetable broth.

Step 9

Transfer the contents of the saucepan to a high-speed blender. Blend until the mixture is smooth and uniform, about 1 minute on high. Transfer the mixture back to the saucepan, Add the dried shiitake mushroom and kombu. Cover and heat over low heat.

Step 10

By now, the oven should be preheated. Place the baking tray in the oven and bake until the mushrooms are cooked through and crispy around the edges, 15-20 minutes. Stir the mushrooms at least once during baking.

Step 11

While the mushrooms are baking, you can prepare the other toppings.

Step 12

You should also adjust the consistency of the broth as needed. It should be quite thick, much thicker than a typical soup. Uncover the saucepan and turn up the heat slightly to help the broth thicken more quickly. Stir in more vegetable broth (or water) to thin the broth out.

Step 13

If you want the broth to be very hot at the time of serving, you can heat the small broth bowls by filling them with boiling water. You should discard the hot water before filling the bowls and be VERY careful handling the hot bowls.

Step 14

Distribute the noodles evenly between two large bowls. Add the menma, shredded king oyster “chicken”, baked tofu, nori sheets, and/or whatever other toppings you plan to use.

Step 15

Distribute the broth among the small bowls, taking care to remove and discard the shiitake mushroom and kombu. Garnish each bowl of broth with some sesame oil, green onion, lime juice, and shichimi togarashi (if using).

Step 16

Serve immediately.