Ultimate Vegan Ramen With Miso Broth

Ingredients

For the Broth

• 1 small eggplant
• 1 medium yellow onion, split in half
• 2 whole heads garlic
• 1 knob ginger, sliced
• 1 tablespoon vegetable or canola oil
• 6 ounces fresh shiitake mushrooms
• 6 ounces maitake or beech mushrooms
• 1 6-inch piece kombu
• 1/2 ounce dried porcini mushrooms
• 1/2 ounce dried shiitake mushrooms
• 6 leaves napa cabbage
• 1 leek, roughly chopped
• 6 scallions, roughly chopped

For the Roasted Sweet Potato and Mushroom Topping

• 1 medium sweet potato, diced
• reserved mushroom caps and tender stems
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 tablespoon shichimi togarashi
• kosher salt

For the Shiitake-Soy Tare

• reserved shiitake caps
• 1 6-inch piece kombu
• 1 knob ginger, sliced
• 6 scallions, roughly chopped
• 6 garlic cloves, unpeeled
• 1/2 cup soy sauce
• 1/2 cup mirin

For the Mushroom-Scallion Oil

• 1/2 ounce dried porcini mushrooms
• 1/2 ounce dried shiitake mushrooms
• 6 scallions, roughly chopped
• 1/2 cup vegetable or canola oil

To Finish

• 1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds
• 1/4 cup white or yellow miso paste
• 3 tablespoons Japanese sesame paste or tahini
• 2 garlic cloves, finely minced
• 4 to 6 servings raw ramen noodles
• 1 cup very thinly sliced scallions or Tokyo negi

Method

1. Broil the eggplant, onion, garlic, and ginger with oil until well charred, then reserve the eggplant and set the oven to 400°F.
2. Move the charred onion, garlic, and ginger to a stock pot with mushroom stems, kombu, dried mushrooms, cabbage, leek, and scallions, cover with water, and simmer for about 1 1/2 hours.
3. Roast the sweet potato and reserved mushroom caps and stems with oil, togarashi, and salt until browned and tender.
4. Simmer the shiitake caps, kombu, ginger, scallions, garlic, soy sauce, and mirin until reduced by about half, then strain and reserve the mushrooms and liquid separately.
5. Gently infuse the dried mushrooms and scallions in oil to make the mushroom-scallion oil.
6. Scoop the flesh from the reserved eggplant, drain it, mix it with sesame seeds and a little tare, and season.
7. Strain the broth, squeeze the roasted garlic from its skins, then blend the garlic with some sweet potato and broth until smooth and whisk it back into the broth.
8. Mix the miso, sesame paste, minced garlic, and some tare in a bowl.
9. Cook the ramen noodles.
10. Divide the miso mixture between warmed bowls, add hot broth, then add the noodles.
11. Finish each bowl with mushroom-scallion oil, the simmered shiitakes, roasted sweet potato, roasted mushrooms, eggplant topping, and sliced scallions.