This Kyoto style soy milk ramen is as dreamy and comforting as they come! This broth is super creamy, silky, and packed with umami flavors. Slurp up some chewy ramen noodles, and bite into the tofu hard-boiled "egg" - you'll want to make a lot of noises while eating this bowl, and guess what, the more noises the merrier because it's considered a compliment to the chef in Japanese culture and in general eastern Asian culture!
Soy milk is commonly used in Japan to flavor broths and soups and Soy Milk Ramen, or 豆乳ラーメン, is a classic dish especially in Kyoto. The soy milk adds depth, creaminess, and that cozy milky white color to the broth while miso and doubanjiang bring the robust and full-bodied flavor. I would not recommend skipping or substituting these two ingredients.
What is Doubanjiang?
Doubanjiang is a fermented bean paste made from broad beans, soy beans, chili peppers, salt, flour, and sometimes other spices. Interestingly, Doubanjiang originates from China, not Japan, its broad usage in Japanese cuisine is a perfect example of the long history of cultural exchange and integration between these two countries. Doubanjiang has a rich, umami, spicy and sour taste that is quite unique and irreplaceable and it makes a big difference in this ramen broth.
What about Dashi?
Another crucial ingredient for the ramen broth is Dashi, or 出汁, だし, which refers to the base stock in Japanese cuisine and brings that delicious savory and umami flavor to soup or ramen broth. Worry not you can easily make authentic dashi at home with dried shiitake mushrooms and kombu, aka dried kelp. I strongly suggest that you only buy kombu from a trusted source and preferably organic because kelp is one of those things that are extremely vulnerable to contamination, like heavy metals, pesticides, industrial chemicals, etc. So please take some extra time in selecting your kombu, safety first!
You can choose whatever toppings you like to complete the bowl, I used edamame, sweet corn, bok choy, carrot, and a hard-boiled "egg" made from tofu! Because I never feel a ramen bowl is complete without that cut-up egg and so I created this super realistic version with just tofu, pumpkin, and a few simple ingredients.
See the video below for a visual guide and if you try this recipe please tag me on Instagram and Tiktok ^^
INGREDIENTS:
*The amount below makes 2 servings
For the Dashi
1 cup hot water
3-4 dried whole shiitake mushrooms
1 2" x 4" piece kombu
For the Ramen
3 cloves garlic, minced2 scallion, chopped, separate the greens and whites
1 inch ginger
2 teaspoon sesame oil
1 tablespoon white miso paste
1 tablespoon white miso paste
1 tablespoon doubanjiang
2 tablespoon sake
1 tablespoon tamari/soy sauce
2 cups unsweetened soy milk
Salt and white pepper to taste
2 tablespoon sake
1 tablespoon tamari/soy sauce
2 cups unsweetened soy milk
Salt and white pepper to taste
6 oz dry ramen or other ramen of choice
For the Hard-Boiled "Egg"
1/2 block extra firm tofu
1/4 cup pumpkin puree
1 tablespoon glutinous rice flour
2 teaspoon yellow mustard
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1/2 teaspoon black salt
Toppings (optional and prepare ahead of time)
Scallion greens
Sweet corn
Carrot
Edamame
Bok choy
TO MAKE:
- First, make the dashi, soak the dried shiitake mushrooms and kombu if using in hot water for 30 minutes;
- Then remove the kelp, save for a seaweed salad or other recipes, and take out the shiitake mushrooms and thinly slice them;
- Chop the scallion, separate the whites and greens, finely mince the garlic and ginger;
- In a stockpot, heat the sesame oil over medium-low heat, add the white parts of the scallion (save the greens for topping), garlic and ginger, cook until fragrant;
- Add in the shiitake mushrooms, stir and cook for another minute;
- Add in the miso paste and doubanjiang, keep stirring to prevent the paste from sticking to the bottom, add the sake to deglaze;
- Add in the tamari or soy sauce, stir to combine, slowly pour in the dashi, stir and bring to a gentle boil;
- Then slowly pour in the soy milk, lower the heat, and do NOT bring the mixture to a boil again once you add the soy milk otherwise I find it tends to curdle;
- Season with salt and white pepper to taste, keep the broth warm over very low heat while you prepare the rest of the bowl;
- If making the tofu egg, cut the half block of tofu in two and carve out an egg shape in each piece, then scoop out a half-spherical shape in the center in both pieces;
- In a small saucepan, slowly stir the rest of the ingredients together till well combined and the texture is jiggly;
- Fill the pumpkin "yolk" to the tofu "egg white", set aside;
- Cook the ramen according to package instructions;
- Drain and transfer the noodles to a bowl, pour hot broth over the noodles, and add your preferred toppings;
- Enjoy!
