Recipe: Vegetarian Ramen.

One day a few months ago, I got a hankering for ramen noodles and grabbed a package of chili ramen, assuming it was vegetarian. I got home and read the ingredients: BEEF FAT. Ick. I Googled “any ramen vegetarian?” with no luck.

So, I concocted a little un-recipe for vegetarian ramen. It was necessary. You understand. It had been at least 15 years since I had packaged ramen, but those perfectly curly little noodles were calling to me. In the months since, I’ve made it about once a week. It’s a ridiculously cheap, filling meal. (Perhaps I am weird for eating soup in July.)

First thing to note: there are no rules. You can add anything you want – sautéed onions, black beans, an egg, frozen peas, etc. My favorite way happens to be pan frying some tofu with soy sauce.

If you think you “hate” tofu, it might be because you haven’t had good tofu. Or maybe you just hate it. That’s cool.

While the tofu is cooking, open up the noodles and throw away the seasoning packet. You don’t need that. Instead, bring three cups of water to boil and add some vegetarian bullion.

Also, your veggies if they are frozen. Once it’s boiling again, add the noodles.

You can add seasoning next. I like cumin, red pepper flakes, and a little salt.

Ta-da! Less than 15 minutes to a tasty little meal.

Which I will Instagram weekly:

 

Vegetarian Ramen

Ingredients:

a package of ramen noodles
vegetarian bullion and water or broth
seasonings: cumin, salt, cayenne red pepper
any of the following: vegetables (frozen peas, corn, spinach, tofu, beans, egg, etc)

Make it:

1 – Prepare tofu: Cube tofu in half-inch squares. Spray pan with cooking spray and over medium-high heat, cook for 10 minutes, flipping often. About halfway through, throw a few splashes of soy sauce on the tofu. It should be browned and slightly crispy when done.

2 – Prepare noodles: Bring 3 cups of water to boil. Add frozen vegetables and bullion. Then add noodles, 1 teaspoon cumin, a few dashes of cayenne pepper, and a little bit of salt. Cook for 3 minutes. (Can substitute vegetable broth for the bullion and water, but you might want to dilute it a bit or omit the salt.)

3- Add the tofu to the noodles. Eat! (I sometimes add an ice cube to cool it down so I can eat it ASAP. Ha.)

Variations:

– If you’re using an egg, add it when you add the bullion and stir vigorously to break it up. It’s sorta like egg drop soup.

– Sautee veggies before adding – especially tasty with onions. Just add with tofu.