A rich, hearty, and flavorful ramen with coconut milk, lemongrass, and kaffir lime. With notes of lemon-lime, ginger, and star anise.
My childhood consisted of packets upon packets of Instant Top Ramen. My absolute favorite way of preparing them was sprinkling over copious amounts of cheese. Oh, that ooey gooey cheesy ramen was my guilty pleasure. Well, I am not 12 years old anymore and I certaintly don’t have the same taste for ramen as I did back then.
It wasn’t until a few years where I had real ramen (you know the stuff that doesn’t come in packets and you get at a Japanese restaurant). That rich, creamy, incredibly flavorful broth was glistening. Every mouthful was pure heaven and I knew I needed to recreate it someday. Well nows the day…about time.
This ramen is filled with punches of flavor from a umami base of sautéd vegan sausage, mushrooms, and miso paste, to brightness and lift from lemongrass and ginger. This ramen also has notes of star anise and rich coconut milk.
This Coconut Lemongrass Ramen is…
- Rich
- Flavorful
- Creamy
- Savory
- Vegan
- Oh so delicious!
A rich, hearty, and flavorful ramen with coconut milk, lemongrass, and kaffir lime. With notes of lemon-lime, ginger, and star anise.
- 2 tbsp neutral-flavored oil such as coconut oil
- 1-inch fresh ginger, finely chopped (about 1 heaping tbsp)
- 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 1 ½ cups roughly chopped, crimini mushrooms
- 1 vegan sausage or 1 cup crumbled meat substitute
- ½ tsp kosher salt
- ½ white onion, roughly chopped
- 1 lemongrass stalk, trimmed and cut into 2 pieces
- 2 tbsp miso paste
- 6 kaffir lime leaves
- 4 whole star anise
- 1 cup full-fat coconut milk
- 6 cups water
- ¾ tsp salt
- 2 ramen noodle blocks (about 5 oz.)
- 14 oz. extra firm tofu
- 1 tbsp tamari or low-sodium soy sauce
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Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. Press and drain tofu. Cut tofu into small cubes and arrange on the baking sheet. Bake for 35 min. until crispy.
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While tofu is baking, prepare the broth. Heat 2 tbsp oil in a deep pot over medium-high heat. Add ginger, garlic, and mushrooms. Crumble in vegan sausage and add ½ tsp salt. Stir. Cook until sausage and mushrooms are golden brown and fragrant, about 5-6 minutes. If mixture seems to get a bit dry, deglaze with 1 tbsp of water.
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Use a mallet or rolling pin to whack the core of the lemongrass to bruise it. Add it to the pot along with onion. In a small bowl, whisk miso paste with 4 tbsp of water. Add to the pot along with lime leaves, star anise, coconut milk, water, and salt. Bring broth to a boil, then reduce heat to medium low, cover, and simmer for 30 minutes. Season with salt if needed.
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Place a mesh strainer over a large glass bowl. Carefully pour broth over the strainer to separate liquid from solids. See notes for how to reuse the solids. Transfer the liquid back to the pot. Bring broth up to a boil then add ramen noodles. Cook until ramen noodles are cooked through, about 5-6 minutes.
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Heat a small skillet over medium-high heat with 1 tbsp neutral-flavored oil. Add baked tofu and 1 tbsp tamari. Give it a quick toss and cook for 2 minutes just to get a bit of a crisp on the tofu and caramelize the edges.
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Serve ramen with baked tofu, chopped veggies, fresh cilantro, and a sprinkle of sesame seeds.
Thanks For Sharing this Amazing Recipe. My Family Loved It. I will be sharing this Recipe with my Friends. Hope They will like it.
Author
So great to hear! Thanks Helan 🙂