This post was created in partnership with Nuts.com.
You guys! Please make this ramen! It is so amazingly good, I’m extremely excited to share the recipe :)
We were in Philadelphia for New Year’s and had a delicious dinner at V Street, a vegan, street food-inspired restaurant. Most things on their menu are fairly spicy, which none of us mind, except Paloma, who is nine and not on board with hot foods just yet. We ordered her the least spicy item on the menu – the Tokyo Cacio e Pepe with miso ‘butter,’ pickled ginger, and nori, and asked for less pepper. She happily slurped up all the noodles, and that dish ended up being one of my favorite menu items we tried there as well. Of course, I immediately got the desire to make something similar at home, and I pondered the miso ‘butter’ recipe for a while. I ended up with a combination of coconut oil, miso, lime juice, tamari, rice vinegar, and a bit of maple syrup, which is so savory and always a winner. The result was a serious umami bomb, it even surprised me!
Another very cool ingredient that instantly helps me get more umami into many dishes like this ramen is the umami powder from Nuts.com. It’s a mixture of dried mushrooms, garlic, chiles, dried miso, and salt, and it can instantly take a meal from pretty good to complex and great. We love sprinkling it on homemade popcorn together with nutritional yeast, too.
The gingery, quick pickled radishes are not only delicious in this ramen, but also great in all kinds of salads and grain bowls, in sandwiches, as a garnish in soups, etc. You won’t regret having a jar in your fridge. Hope you’ll give this ramen a try. Enjoy!
- 10 medium radishes - sliced thinly
- 1-inch piece of ginger - sliced thinly
- 1½ tablespoons salt
- ½ cup rice vinegar
- 1 cup purified water
- 1 tablespoon coconut sugar
- 7 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice - divided
- 2 tablespoons tamari - divided
- 1½ tablespoons rice vinegar
- 2 teaspoons sriracha
- 4 teaspoons umami powder - divided (optional)
- 2 tablespoons white miso paste
- 1 tablespoon honey or maple syrup
- 2 tablespoons neutral coconut oil - divided
- 1 14 oz package firm tofu (I used sprouted) - pressed to get rid of excess liquid
- 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
- 5 garlic cloves - sliced
- 2 cups vegetable broth
- 10 oz ramen noodles (I used these gluten-free ones) - cooked according to instructions on the package
- 2 nori sheets - shredded into thin strips (I like to use scissors for this)
- a few scallions - sliced
- 1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds
- Combine the radishes, ginger and salt in a clean jar, let rest for about 20 minutes. In the meantime, combine the rice vinegar, water and sugar in a small saucepan and bring to a near boil, whisking to help the sugar to dissolve. Pour the mixture over the vegetables, cover and let cool at room temperature. Once cooled, you can use the radishes right away, or place them in the refrigerator overnight, which is preferable for the flavor to develop.
- Whisk together 6 tablespoons of the fresh lime juice, 1 tablespoon of the tamari, rice vinegar, sriracha and 1 teaspoon of the umami powder, if using, in a small bowl until well combined. Set aside.
- Combine the miso and honey/maple syrup in another small bowl and mix until smooth. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon of lime juice, mix until well combined, and set aside.
- Warm 1 tablespoon of coconut oil in a large pan over medium heat. Slice the pressed tofu into small cubes. Fry until golden on most sides, drizzle the remaining 1 tablespoon of tamari over top at the end, remove from the pan and set aside.
- Warm the remaining 1 tablespoon of coconut oil along with the sesame oil in the same pan over low heat. Add the garlic and sauté for 30 seconds, until fragrant. Add the lime-tamari-vinegar mixture, increase the heat to a strong simmer and cook for about 2 minutes, or until slightly syrupy. Remove the pan from the heat and whisk in the miso mixture until well combined and smooth.
- In the meantime, heat the vegetable broth in a small saucepan to a near boil, whisking in the remaining 3 teaspoons of umami powder, if using. Add the cooked ramen noodles to the pan with the miso butter sauce, followed by the tofu, and toss to coat. Pour the heated broth over top, toss and serve with the pickled radishes, shredded nori, scallions and sesame seeds. You can also distribute the noodles between bowls and then pour the broth over top individually.
Laura says
What gluten free noodles did you use? I think you forgot the link.
Anya says
Hi Laura,
Thank you for pointing that out. We used these Lotus Foods ones.
Dana says
How long will the pickled radish keep in the refrigerator? Thanks
Anya says
Hi Dana,
They will keep well for about a week :)
Jordan McGregor says
Thanks for the wonderful recipe Anya and Masha! I am wondering if you have any tips or anything that would be good to know if I were to prepare this meal on a Sunday to eat later on in the week? I have been reading a lot lately about people preparing their meals for the week on Sunday and it makes it much more convenient to eat throughout the week. Thanks again!
Anya says
Hi Jordan,
I actually took the leftovers of this ramen to work yesterday and it was great! I added some greens to it and I didn’t reheat it, as I found it tastes good cold. But you could definitely reheat it, though I would bring the radishes separately and add them in after reheating. The noodles definitely get more sticky and not as fresh after time in the fridge, but it’s all still perfectly good. If you are looking for more inspiration for cooking for the week ahead, check out our meal plans here.
HERIN says
good
kristin says
yum! this looks delicious.
Anya says
Thank you!
Lizi says
Sounds so amazing! What do you do for vegetable broth?
Anya says
Thank you so much Lizi! You can use store-bought veggie broth or make your own. I usually make my own with veggie scraps like leek tops, onion peels, carrot peels, garlic, bay leaf, etc. Adding kombu (a mineral-rich seaweed) to the broth is great, because it gives it a mild, sea flavor, which makes the broth taste more Japanese and appropriate for this ramen.
Carolyn says
Found this recipe a while back and it has now become a staple in our house! We LOVE this dish!! I have found so many other recipes that never disappoint. Thank you!
Anya says
Hi Carolyn,
So glad to hear!! Thanks so much for leaving this note.