Sapporo / Tokyo, Japan
Miso-Shiitake Ramen
A deeply umami broth from kombu, dried shiitake and white miso, finished with chashu-style braised mushrooms, fresh noodles and chili oil. No bones required.
Prep
20 min
Cook
45 min
Serves
4
Level
Medium
Flavor
Umami · earthy · deeply savoury
The Story
Why this dish — and how it became plant-based
Japanese cuisine has more vegan history than people realise — shojin ryori, the temple cooking tradition, has been entirely plant-based for over a thousand years and runs on exactly the same flavour principles ramen does: kombu and shiitake forming the dashi backbone, soy and miso the savoury accents.
Modern ramen broths got rich and porky in the 20th century, but the depth was never about meat. Properly drawn vegetable dashi has more glutamates per litre than chicken stock. Add miso for body, scorched aromatics for depth, and king oyster mushrooms braised in soy as your chashu, and you have a bowl that tastes like a Tokyo basement restaurant at midnight.
Ingredients
What you'll need
Kombu-shiitake dashi
- •1 large piece kombu (~15g)
- •8 dried shiitake mushrooms
- •2 litres cold water
- •1 small onion, halved
- •5cm piece ginger, sliced
- •3 garlic cloves, smashed
Miso tare (flavour base)
- •4 tbsp white miso
- •1 tbsp red miso
- •2 tbsp soy sauce or tamari
- •1 tbsp mirin
- •1 tsp sesame oil
- •1 tsp grated ginger
Mushroom chashu
- •300g king oyster or large shiitake mushrooms
- •2 tbsp soy sauce
- •1 tbsp maple syrup
- •1 tbsp mirin
- •1 tbsp neutral oil
To serve
- •400g fresh ramen noodles
- •4 spring onions, finely sliced
- •2 sheets nori, halved
- •Corn kernels, bamboo shoots, bean sprouts
- •Chili oil or rayu
Method
Step by step
- 1
The night before (or 30 minutes ahead): place kombu, dried shiitake and water in a large pot. Refrigerate or rest at room temperature.
- 2
Set the pot over medium-low heat. Just before it simmers (small bubbles, not a boil) — about 20 minutes — remove the kombu.
- 3
Add onion, ginger and garlic. Simmer gently 25 minutes. Do not boil hard; it turns bitter. Strain. You should have ~1.5 litres of deep amber broth.
- 4
While the dashi simmers, slice king oyster mushrooms ½cm thick. Heat oil in a pan and sear until golden. Add soy, maple and mirin, and reduce until glazy. Set aside.
- 5
Whisk all tare ingredients in a small bowl until smooth.
- 6
Cook noodles according to package directions — usually 2 minutes. Drain.
- 7
To assemble each bowl: spoon 2–3 tbsp of tare into the bottom. Pour over hot broth and stir to dissolve.
- 8
Add noodles, lay over mushroom chashu, then garnish with spring onions, corn, bean sprouts, nori and a drizzle of chili oil. Slurp immediately.
The Veganisation
Traditional → Plant-Based, swap by swap
Original
Tonkotsu pork broth
Plant-based
Kombu-shiitake dashi
Original
Chashu pork belly
Plant-based
Soy-glazed king oyster mushrooms
Original
Soft-boiled egg
Plant-based
Charred corn + bamboo shoots
Chef Notes
Get it right the first time
- →Never boil kombu. Just below simmer is where the glutamates extract without bitterness.
- →Tare is added to the bowl, not the pot — that way each diner can adjust saltiness.
- →If you can find them, dried iriko-style anchovies' vegan substitutes (smoked dulse flakes or sun-dried tomato) add another umami layer to the broth.
- →King oyster mushrooms slice like little scallops and brown beautifully. If unavailable, large portobello or shiitake work fine.
- →Make the dashi in big batches and freeze in 500ml containers. Future-you will thank you.
Serve with
Gyoza with garlic-chili dip · Edamame with sea salt · Cold sake or oolong tea
One Plate, Two Wins
Delicious tonight. Kind every night.
Every traditional dish has a plant-based soul waiting to be uncovered — you just have to listen to the spices, not the meat.
Hungry for more world flavors?
Explore another dish from our global vegan kitchen.