This rich, "meaty" broth starts with mushrooms for depth and roasted onions & garlic for a touch of smoke. Rounding out the the complex flavors are fennel, cinnamon, anise, and clove.
For quick weekday prep, make the broth the night before. Add the tofu to allow it to marinate in refrigerator overnight. The next day, just prepare the noodles, toss the remaining mushrooms into the stew, and simmer until just tender. Serve with the noodles and top with palate pleasing accompaniments.
soup ingredients
- 2 Tablespoons Vegetable or Canola Oil, plus more for brushing
- 12 Oz (about 2 Medium) Onions
- 14 Grams (about 6 cloves) Whole Garlic
- .2 Oz (1 - 1" Long Piece) Fresh Ginger, peeled
- 1 Teaspoon Fennel Seed
- 1 Pound Mushrooms of choice (shiitake preferred), sliced, divided
- 11 Cups Water, divided
- 2 Tablespoons Sesame Oil
- 1/4 Cup Tamari or Soy Sauce
- 1/4 - 1 Teaspoon Dried Red Chili Flakes
- 1 - 1 1/2 Tablespoons Salt
- 2 - 3 Tablespoons Sugar
- 3-4 oz (about 1) Carrot, thinly sliced or diced
- 1 Cinnamon Stick
- 6 Whole Cloves
- 3 Whole Star Anise
- 8 Oz Firm Tofu, drained & cut in 1/2"-1" cubes
- 8 Oz of Ramen or Rice Noodles, cooked according to package directions. Rinse with cold water and keep in a bowl of cold water until ready to use.
topping suggestions
- Fresh Thai or sweet basil
- Fresh onion or garlic chives
- Green onion
- Chopped cashews
- Sesame Seeds
- Bean Sprouts
- Sriracha
- Chili Flakes
- Fresh diced chilies
- Fresh ground black pepper
- Lime wedges
- Soft boiled eggs
the method
Heat oven to high broil. Cut onions in half. Brush onions and garlic with oil and arrange in a baking pan or on a cookie sheet. Position oven rack so that it is second from the top. Broil for 5 minutes. Remove garlic and set aside. Turn over onions, and broil for another 3-5 minutes or until charred. It's ok if onions come apart. Add onions, garlic and ginger along with about a cup of the water to a food processor or blender and puree until smooth.
Broil onions & garlic.
Puree onions, garlic, and ginger.
In a 6 qt or larger stockpot or pressure cooker, heat vegetable oil over medium. Stir in fennel seeds and toast until aromatic. Toss in half (8 oz) of the mushrooms and saute for about 3 minutes or until the mushrooms shrink and release their juices.
Stir in pureed onion mixture, remaining water, sesame oil, tamari or soy sauce, salt, sugar, chili flakes, cinnamon sticks, and carrots. Secure star anise and cloves in a mesh infuser and add infuser to the pot. On the stove top, bring soup to a boil, cover, reduce heat to low and simmer for 60 minutes. OR in a pressure cooker, set pressure to high or 12 psi and cook for 15 minutes.
Add anise & clove to mesh infuser.
Remove infuser and cinnamon stick. Taste broth and add more salt, sugar, or chili flakes if desired. Keep broth at a simmer. (If using a pressure cooker, use the "saute" or "reduce" function.) Blend in tofu cubes and continue to simmer for about 10 minutes. Stir in remaining 8 oz of mushrooms and cook for 3-5 minutes or until just tender. Remove from heat.
Place a serving of noodles in the bottom of serving bowl, ladle in soup, and top generously with accompaniments of choice. Enjoy!
Mushroom Ramen Soup with shiitake, black pepper, sesame seed, and garlic chives.