Vegan Birria Ramen
Birria ramen is a scrumptious fusion recipe with Mexican inspired birria broth with tex-mex spices. I add some udon or ramen noodles to the mix along with crisped tofu This is a one-pot recipe that is ready in 30 minutes.
Servings: 4
Ingredients
For the spices:
- 2 teaspoons of your favorite chili powder blend
- 1 teaspoon chipotle chili powder or flakes
- 1.5 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon Mexican oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
For the veggies:
- 2 teaspoons oil
- 1/2 cup sliced red onion
- 1/2 bell pepper sliced (red or green or mixed bell peppers)
- 2 oz mushrooms sliced
- 7 oz firm or extra firm tofu, pressed and cubed
For the birria ramen broth:
- 2 tablespoons ginger-garlic paste or use 3 cloves garlic , 1/2 inch ginger minced
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 2 teaspoons all purpose flour or gluten-free blend
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 4 1/2 cups water or vegetable stock (3 cups for less brothy, 5 cups for brothier with udon. This amount also depends on your noodles. Ramen absorbs less broth)
- 1/2 cup orange juice or use more broth and add 1 tablespoon rice vinegar or lime juice
- 6 oz thin udon or ramen noodles
For garnish:
- cilantro, green onion, red onion, lime wedges
Instructions
- Combine all the spices in a small bowl and set aside.
- Heat a deep skillet or a saucepan over medium heat. Add the oil and once the oil is hot, add the onion, bell peppers, mushrooms, and tofu and cook until the tofu is golden around some of the edges. 3-4 mins. Then add 1 teaspoon or more of the mixed spices from above and toss well to coat. Continue to cook until the onion is golden. 3-5 mins
- Remove half or more of this tofu/mushroom mixture to use as a topping later on. To the remaining mixture, add the ginger-garlic paste, tomato paste, the remaining spice mixture, and flour, and mix really well. Add 1/2 cup of broth and mix in so that the flour dissolves and there are no lumps.
- Continue to cook for a minute to cook the flour. Then add in the salt, broth, and orange juice and mix really well. Bring the mixture to a rolling boil and add the noodles and mix them in. Continue to cook until the noodles are cooked to your preference. This can take anywhere from 3-7 minutes. Check the noodles in between to see if they are done. Carefully taste the broth and adjust salt and tang as needed. Switch off the heat.
- To serve use a ladle and add some of the broth to your serving bowl, transfer some of the noodles and top it with the reserved mushroom/tofu mixture, and then add the garnishes and serve.
Video
Notes
This recipe is naturally nut-free.
To make this recipe soy-free, omit the tofu and use more mushrooms or you can use vegan chicken substitute orChickpea flour Tofu
To make it gluten-free, use gluten-free noodles, glutenfree blend, and gluten-free vegan protein of choice.
For additional flavor, lightly dry toast 2 guajillo peppers on a small pan until it changes color. Then blend the chilies, 1 clove of garlic and a pinch of allspice with the stock and use that .
Make ahead/cook noodles separately: Most noodles can absorb lot of the liquid when stored. So make noodles separately for making ahead. Cook noodles according to instructions on package. For the ramen, use 2-3 cups water depending on how brothy you want the ramen. Bring to a boil, simmer for 3-4 mins and store or serve with the noodles
Nutrition
Calories: 298kcal | Carbohydrates: 39g | Protein: 11g | Fat: 10g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Sodium: 698mg | Potassium: 383mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 1359IU | Vitamin C: 38mg | Calcium: 106mg | Iron: 4mg