Ramen was always an easy, go-to dish of mine. Yes, I’m talking about the instant, college dorm room kind. But recently as I set out to cook an at home Asian dinner, homemade Spicy Vegetarian Ramen happened. And friends, it is sooo good.
Now let me stop you before you panic about how complicated it must be to make your own Spicy Vegetarian Ramen at home. This is simply a recipe to elevate a tried-and-true favorite, and it takes maybe five minutes to make. You can, of course, find fresh ramen noodles at a local Asian market, but you can just as easily use the dried ramen noodles (they still work great!). Here, I’ve used the dried noodles simply for convenience and you would never be able to tell the difference.
Since these ramen noodles are flavorless, you can mix literally anything you want into the base of the dish, which for me consists of garlic, organic vegetable broth and toasted sesame oil. (Note: Sesame oil is one of the quickest ways to infuse an Asian flavor that we all know and love into a dish, and I’ve found that the Toasted version is my favorite). For the accompaniments of my ramen, I included grilled bok choy (made so easy on one of these guys) and fresh cilantro, and since you know I love to pack a punch with extra heat whenever I can, I added Sriracha and tons of fresh peppers…jalapeños, serranos and Thai chili peppers. And you can never forget about the garnish! I squeeze a bit of fresh lime juice and maybe additional Sriracha if I’m feeling extra dangerous. Tell me friends, how do you like your ramen? Did you, too, have an obsession with the instant stuff way back when?! Truly, MKR
P.S. Don’t miss my other must-try recipes for your homemade Asian dinner: Grilled Bok Choy, Spicy Vegan Lettuce Wraps and my Lemongrass Gin Fizz with Mint (recipe coming tomorrow!). xo
