Dashi Broth Ramen with Coconut Milk and Mushrooms
SERVES: 4-6 | PREP TIME: 20 MIN. | COOK TIME: 30 MIN.**This Vegetarian Coconut Milk Dashi Ramen with Mushrooms recipe is brought to you by Campfire Pottery.
They gifted me the bowls here and they are amazing!*
I love having people over…
…but I hate cooking for a crowd. It may sound like a conundrum, but I have a solution that works like a charm. Every time we have friends over for dinner my trick to avoid hostess anxiety is to offer a highly customizable meal. This just means that I prepare a base and everyone finishes it with toppings that suit their taste preferences. This method is perfect for intuitive eating with a group because everyone gets to make it into whatever they need that night.
These meals could be chili, grilled pizzas, tacos, pulled pork sliders, etc. Everything requires a bit of prep that can be done earlier in the day, or even the day before. Then when everyone’s ready, each person creates their own unique dish. It’s fun and customizable. Read: extremely crowd pleasing and easiest for you. You could even do grain bowls, burrito bowls, sushi, or anything that needs toppings and creative assembling.
My Vegetarian Coconut Milk Dashi Ramen with Mushrooms has been my go-to for a crowd lately because the broth takes almost no time to prep, simmers on the stove while people get settled, and is super impressive. Even if we’re not entertaining, I make this dish at least once a month for a weeknight dinner. Yum!
I have a few recipe notes for you below.
Dashi broth. A dashi is basically a seaweed broth that is made with kombu and water. Kombu is a must-have ingredient that can be found at most major grocery stores or ordered online (I’ll link it below). Typical iterations of a dashi broth include fish flakes or miso paste. I don’t use either, and instead oomph up my broth using coconut milk and a quick cheat of vegetable broth in place of water. Coconut milk makes this broth extra luscious and nourishing, and the broth adds a bit more of an established flavor, faster. If you’re not concerned about this dish being vegetarian, use chicken broth instead. Yum!!
Soy sauce. I call for 1/3 cup but sometimes use only 1/4 cup and jazz it up after it’s simmered. When in doubt start with less and add more, but this can absolutely handle at least a 1/3 of a cup. Add a tablespoon more at a time if it needs more at the end. Alternatives are tamari or coconut aminos. I use them pretty interchangeably.
To season the mushrooms and bok choy. Basically I just wait to salt them until they are removed from the pot. This switch helps them brown as much as they can. This is because salt draws the moisture out, and moisture impedes on their ability to brown. The pot get deglazed once the broth is added, so less moisture is actually best here, and some browning of the bottom of the pot is ideal. Add a heavy pinch of salt and rice seasoning once everything comes off.
Rice seasoning. I love adding rice reasoning to this dish because the extra seaweed lends a bit more umami. Not that mushrooms and soy sauce need much more, I just love the way the seasoning pulls it all together. I’m going to link it via amazon associate links for you below.
Cook time. I like to let the broth simmer about 2 hours when I’m having guests over. This is so I have more time to clean and get ready. And it’s also so that the broth is well infused and needs less doctoring. If i’m making this for a weeknight dinner, I serve it almost immediately after it comes up to a boil and once everything’s ready. A broth made with a shorter simmer time may need more soy sauce or toppings because it’s had less time to infuse. Either way the broth will taste even better the next day as leftovers for the same reason.
The toppings. I put a list of my favorite toppings in the recipe below, however feel free to get inventive and make it your own. I especially love hot kimchi and hot pepper sesame oil. If everyone loves heat, I highly recommend the oil gets added to each dish. If you get to this point and you think some brightness is needed but no more soy sauce, I like to set out/add yuzu or rice vinegar. This will create a bright tang that will cut the broth perfectly. Feel free to add soy sauce to the assembly line, too.
Egg yolk. I know this freaks some people out, but the egg yolk thickens the ramen ever so slightly. I love it especially when I’m in the mood for more noodles than broth.
Play around with toppings and have fun!
7. Serve in ramen bowls with chop sticks and have fun slurping! Click here to buy my favorite ramen bowls from Campfire Pottery. The bowls in these images were gifted to me from them and they are PERFECT!
****Recipe Update**** this recipe has been updated to fix a measurement error originally recorded. It stated 15 ounces of Kombu rather than the correct unit of 15 grams. Big difference! Thank you to reader Amanda for that catch! ****
Dashi & Coconut Milk Ramen
SERVES: 4-6
PREP TIME: 20 MIN. | COOK TIME: 30 MIN.
INSTRUCTIONSThis vegetarian ramen is a great dish to serve for a crowd. It requires minimal prep and can be customized by each guest. Crowd pleasing and easy!
In a large heavy bottom pot, sautee mushrooms in 2 tablespoons of butter or oil until brown. About 5-7 minutes. Remove from pot, season with a heavy pinch of salt and rice seasoning. Repeat process with 1 tablespoon of butter or oil for the baby bok choy, then set everything aside while the broth is prepared.
Deglaze the hot pot using the vegetable broth. Add coconut milk, soy sauce, ginger, garlic and kombu. Bring to a boil, then simmer for a minimum of 30 minutes (2 hours max). Using a large spoon, skim the broth of the small cloudy foam that will form. Remove ginger, garlic and kombu using a slotted spoon or strain over a fine mesh strainer. Keep on a low simmer until ready to serve. Taste and adjust seasonings as necessary.
Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a boil. Salt heavily and cook the noodles to package instructions. Strain and coat with a small amount of flavorless oil to prevent sticking. If it does stick, feel free to rinse in warm water before serving.
Create an assembly line of noodles, broth, mushrooms, bok choy, nori, sesame oil, kimchi, egg yolk, sesame seeds/rice reasoning, enoki mushrooms, and sriracha. Let each person build their ramen to their preferences. Enjoy!
INGREDIENTS5 oz shiitake mushrooms, sliced
3.5 oz oyster mushrooms, trimmed
3.5 oz. golden oyster mushrooms, trimmed
1-2 heads baby bok choy, trimmed, washed, and stalks sliced
3 tablespoons butter or oil
2 pts. vegetable (or chicken) stock
2 cans coconut milk
1/3 cup less sodium soy sauce
4.5 oz fresh ginger (about 4-5
1 oz garlic cloves (about 10 pieces), smashed and skins removed
.5 oz (15g) kombu (this is apprx. two large sheets)
Salt and rice seasoning to taste
2 packages Chinese ramen noodles or 5 packages of instant ramen noodles (seasoning packets discarded)
TOPPINGSNori
Hot pepper sesame oil (a must IMO!)
Kimchi
4-6 egg yolks, or soft boiled eggs
Sesame seeds
Enoki mushrooms
Sriracha