"The only real stumbling block is the fear of failure. In cooking, you have got to have a what-the-hell attitude." ~ Julia Child

Vegetarian Ramen broth — The Un-Cup O’Noodle Way

by Julie on April 7, 2011

in Good Ideas Gone Bad

Naruto chibi slurps his ramen

All the cool anime kids love ramen...

All the Drama Teen wants to eat these days is ramen. So we go to Marukai and buy Japanese-style instant raman, which is more expensive than the ubiquitous Cup O’ Noodles, but probably stars twice the MSG.

There’s got to be a healthier way. The noodles themselves aren’t the problem. Cheap and easy, they are. It’s the sodium-sodden broth that bothers me.

And lately I’ve been asking myself: How hard could it be to make my own ramen broth?

Today, I found my answer: Very hard.

Also very meat-heavy. Traditional ramens are pork-driven affairs, boiling pig bones down for hours to release the marrow. Now, I’ll go a little lax on the meat thing from time to time, but pork is just not my scene, man. Where would I find pork bones, anyway? And how would I get them home…naw. Not going there.

Then I found this: one chef’s vegetarian version of ramen broth.  It involves celery root and miso, two ingredients I can not only deal with, but get my hands on. Without ruining a tote bag.

This ramen broth, I understand, will only take a couple of hours to make, as opposed to all day.

I’ve got a lot of extra time on my hands suddenly. So what the hell.

Stay tuned…

Love ramen too? Check out Rameniac.

{ 1 comment… read it below or add one }

Susan April 7, 2011 at 2:01 pm

I’m definitely interested in the result. Emily too is on a strictly Japanese noodle diet right now. She makes miso soup and puts in tofu, green onions and udon. This is her standard breakfast and I think it may be a bit healthier than the ichiban ramen pack that she is so fond of. Keep me posted.

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