While traditional Dashi involves some element of fish in it, for our vegan version, we’ll be invoking the Umami flavour through Kombu (kelp) and dried Shiitake Mushrooms. Here is your basic Vegan Dashi Stock – the base of oh-so-many things! Smells like death (not kidding!), but makes up with the umami flavour!You will need:- 2 dried Shiitake mushrooms, sliced- 2 'knots' of kombu (dried seaweed / kelp)- 1 1/2 c water, room temperatureMethod:- Soak Mushroom and Seaweed in water for half hour.- Transfer to a pan and simmer (do not boil!)- Strain and reserve the liquid. Discard the seaweed, but you may save the mushrooms as garnish for later.

The Japanese say that a good Ramen is judged not by the noodles, but by the broth. There are so many kinds of Ramen broth – a clear soy base, tonkatsu (creamy pork broth), miso broth (fairly new to the Ramen culture) and more.The Vegan broth we’ll be creating closely resembles the tonkatsu broth – no pork, but all the milky creaminess, thanks to soy milk. If you’re not too particular about being Vegan, substitute with regular milk instead.Here are two ingredients that will make all the difference to your broth:Miso PasteThe biggest contributor of the classic ‘umami‘ flavour in this dish. Find this at your local Asian supermarket. Most miso comes with bonito (fish flakes), so check ingredient list (then, check again!) to make sure there’s nothing in there you can’t eat.MirinA sweet rice wine commonly used in Japanese cuisine. Substitute with Sake, if you have some lying around.You will need:- 2 tsp. garlic flavoured oil (substitute with sesame oil / vegetable oil)- 2 inches of ginger, grated- 4 cloves of garlic, grated- 3 spring onions, chopped (white and green parts separated, sliced)- 4 tsp. red chilli paste (I used Sambal Oelek)- 3 tsp. white miso paste- 2 tbsp. mirin / sake- 2 tbsp. sesame seeds, powdered- 4 tsp. soy sauce (low-sodium)- 2 c soy milk- 1 c Dashi stock- White pepper powder, to taste- 1/4 tsp. salt- 1/4 tsp. fried red chilli flakesMethod:- Heat 2 tsp garlic oil in a medium pot over medium-high heat. Sauté ginger, garlic and spring onion (white) for a few seconds.- Add chilli paste, miso, mirin, ground sesame seeds, soy sauce, soy milk and the prepared dashi stock. Season with salt, white pepper and fried red chilli flakes.- Once it begins to simmer (and most of the oil floats on top), remove from heat.

While the stock is simmering, put a large pot of water (salted) to the boil. Add two cakes of dried Ramen noodles and cook according to package instructions. Drain and divide the cooked noodles between two large bowls.

Divide the ramen broth between the two bowls. Garnish with your choice of toppings. Serve hot!Garnish options:- 1/2 c Fried Tofu (pressed and pan-fried)- 1/2 c sweet corn, cooked- 1 c bean sprouts, tossed in a pinch of fried red chilli flakes- 3 spring onion (green), sliced- 1 egg, soft boiled and cut in half (VEGANS, omit!)- 1/4 c fried garlic, crushed- 2 tsp. fried onions- 2 tsp. chilli oil- 1 jalapeno, sliced- 1/4 c onion, slicedThis recipe was first published here.