Vegetarian Ramen
Chefs Ashley Cassasola and Hector Vega
North Carolina State University
Raleigh, N.C.
The foodservice team at North Carolina State University created this ramen bowl completely from scratch—right down to making the noodle dough and the vegetable broth in house. If time or labor is short, use packaged Asian egg noodles and a good quality packaged vegetable broth instead. The seared portobellos, crispy chick peas and pan-roasted parmesan tomatoes add bright bursts of flavor and color.
Ingredients
Noodles
3 cups flour
1 tsp. kosher salt
2 eggs
½ cup warm water
Vegetable Ramen Broth
¼ cup olive oil
8 oz. onions, chopped
2 tsp. chopped garlic
6 oz. shiitake mushrooms, chopped
6 oz. cremini mushrooms, chopped
1 rib celery, diced
1 carrot, peeled and diced
1 tomato, chopped
¼ bunch cilantro with stems, torn
1/8 bunch parsley with steams, torn
3 cups vegetable stock
½ cup gluten-free tamari soy sauce
¼ cup preservative-free poke sauce
Salt and black pepper, to taste
Chopped cilantro and lime wedges, for garnish
Seared Portobellos
¼ cup preservative-free toasted sesame oil
1 tbsp. chopped garlic
1 cup gluten-free tamari sauce
1 oz. honey
Salt and black pepper, to taste
5 portobello mushroom caps, cleaned
Olive oil, as needed
Wilted Spinach
½ tbsp. olive oil
4 cups spinach, chiffonade
Crispy chickpeas
Olive oil, as needed
12 oz. canned chickpeas, drained
Salt and black pepper, to taste
½ tbsp. grated lime zest
Pan Roasted Parmesan Tomatoes
½ cup shredded Parmesan cheese
3 tomatoes, cut into wedges
2 tbsp. olive oil
1 tsp. chopped parsley
Salt and black pepper, to taste
Sunnyside-Up Eggs
2 tbsp. butter with canola oil
5 eggs
Salt and black pepper, to taste
Steps
- For noodles, combine flour and salt in food processor. Beat eggs and water together and stream into the flour mixture. Pulse until dough is formed. Wrap in plastic and let sit for 20 to 30 minutes.
- Roll and cut into noodles as desired. Boil for 2 to 3 minutes or until cooked through; set aside.
- For vegetable ramen broth, in large saucepan, heat olive oil. Add onion and garlic; saute until soft and translucent. Add mushrooms and cook until caramelized and minimal liquid remains.
- Stir in celery, carrots, and tomatoes. Continue to cook until all vegetables are browned. Add remaining ingredients and simmer until flavor develops. Strain and season with salt and pepper to taste. Keep hot.
- For portobellos, in small bowl, combine all sesame oil, garlic, tamari, honey and salt and pepper to taste. Place mushroom caps in shallow container; pour mixture over mushrooms and marinate 30 minutes or longer.
- Heat large skillet with a little olive oil. Sear mushrooms in hot oil until cooked through and browned; slice thickly and set aside.
- For spinach, heat oil in large skillet. Add spinach and cook until wilted; set aside.
- For crispy chickpeas, heat oil in frying pan to 350 F. Add chickpeas and fry until brown and crisp. Drain and season with salt, pepper and lime zest; set aside.
- For tomatoes, melt Parmesan cheese in dry skillet; cook until browned and crisp. Remove from pan and set aside.
- Toss tomato wedges with olive oil, salt and pepper; sear in skillet. Remove and dust with crushed Parmesan crisps.
- For sunnyside-up eggs, melt butter in saute pan over low heat. Crack eggs into pan and cook until whites are set and firm.
- To serve, spoon portion of noodles into serving bowl; pour hot ramen vegetable broth into bowl. Place fried egg on top along with seared portobello slices, spinach, chickpeas and tomatoes. Garnish with cilantro and lime wedges.
Photo courtesy of Kikkoman