Soup season is now, and there are few soups more hearty, homey, and truly comforting than a big bowl o’ ramen – this ginger and bok choy ramen is no exception. Juicy baby bok choy leaves pairs really well with ginger root, an invigorating and vibrant duo around which to center a ramen. Immerse the two alongside some delicious black rice ramen noodles in a hot miso and shoyu-flavored broth, speckled with red pepper flakes. Metabolism-revving, utterly tasty, and super slurpable, this bok choy ramen is one soup you’re gonna have to try this season!
Bok Choy Ramen: Shopping List
- Olive oil
- Garlic cloves
- Fresh ginger, minced
- Yellow onion
- Vegetable broth, low-sodium preferred
- 3 – 4 heads baby bok choy
- Forbidden rice ramen noodles (or just regular ramen noodles)
- Sweet white miso paste
- Smoked shoyu, or regular gluten-free & low-sodium tamari
- Seasoned rice wine vinegar
- Crushed red pepper flakes
How To Cook Bok Choy In A Ramen
Baby bok choy is an amazingly hearty, juicy and slurpable cruciform that cooks very easily in this bok choy ramen recipe – the perfect choice to add body, color and a unique flavor to your soup. Here’s how you prepare it for the bok choy ramen.
- Remove about an inch of the bok choy root (the very bottom white part), and then pull each leaf away from the head. Wash each one well to remove any dirt.
- Once the vegetable broth is boiling (after sautéing the onion and garlic), add the bok choy to the pot, and once again cover it. Boil the bok choy for about 3 – 4 minutes, just until they become more tender.
- Once done, turn the heat to low, and add the miso paste, smoked shoyu, rice wine vinegar, and red pepper flakes. Stir this into the broth until all the miso has incorporated and the soup is completely heated through.
There you go! Essentially, you just trim and clean the bok choy leaves, and then add them to boiling broth for just a couple minutes. You still want a little bite to the bok choy, as well as a vibrantly green color, so careful not to over-boil them into gelatinous green goop.
Choosing Your Ramen Noodles
Okay, I’m pretty sure everyone has cooked the classic wheat ramen noodle at one point or another. They are undoubtedly iconic, and pretty delicious if done correctly. However, for this bok choy ramen, I really like to use these Forbidden Rice Ramen Noodles.
Not only are they gluten-free (for those gluten-intolerant out there), but they just look so much more compelling, too. Flavor-wise, they have a slight nuttiness, similar to the rice from which they’re made. Also, it’s just adds a kind of haute-cuisine mystique to say that you’re using “forbidden” rice ramen noodles; it transport the mind from the college dorm to the ritzy restaurant.
If you’re interested in seeing other recipes using forbidden rice ramen noodles, then do check out my similar and equally delicious Forbidden Miso Ramen with Baked Sriracha Tempeh too!
Easy Substitutions
- If you can’t find the forbidden rice ramen noodles, look instead for regular rice ramen noodles, or perhaps even the classic wheat-based ramen noodle. You just want a noodle with that signature wavy ramen texture.
- If you can’t find smoked shoyu, simply use a regular (preferably low-sodium) tamari or soy sauce. It may have less depth of flavor, but it should still yield a delicious bok choy ramen all the same. Remember – if you’re going for a gluten-free version, be sure to use a gluten-free tamari as well as a gluten-free ramen noodle.
- If you can’t find baby bok choy, you can use regular sized bok choy. If this is the case, halve or even quarter the bok choy leaves so that they are smaller in size, and therefore will cook more quickly and more similarly to the baby bok choy leaves.
I hope that you enjoyed this vegan bok choy ramen recipe. If you did, consider leaving me a comment and recipe rating before you go!
Ginger & Bok Choy Ramen
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 3 tablespoons fresh ginger, minced
- 1 yellow onion, roughly chopped into half-moons
- 4 cups vegetable broth, low-sodium preferred
- 3 – 4 heads baby bok choy, trimmed, pulled apart, and washed
- 2 stacks forbidden rice ramen noodles, or just regular ramen noodles
- 2 tablespoons sweet white miso paste
- 2 tablespoons smoked shoyu, or regular gluten-free & low-sodium tamari
- 1 ½ tablespoons seasoned rice wine vinegar
- ¼ – ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, depending on how spicy you want it
Instructions
- In a large soup pot/pan over medium heat with 2 tablespoons olive oil, sauté the garlic and ginger for about 2 – 3 minutes, until it's starting to brown and become aromatic. Then, add the onion, and cook for another 5 – 7 minutes, until the onion starts to turn more translucent. After that, add the vegetable broth, cover the pot with a lid, and bring that to a steady boil.
- Meanwhile, boil about a quart of water in a medium pot to cook the ramen. Once boiling, drop about two stacks of wavy ramen noodles in the boiling water, and cook for 1 minute on full boil, breaking apart the noodles with a fork. Then, turn the heat down to medium-low, and cook the noodles for an additional 3 – 4 minutes, until tender (double-check your package for instructions, if they are a different brand from those listed here). Strain the noodles, and wash with cold water to stop them from cooking. Set aside until you're ready to use them.
- Prepare the bok choy by removing about an inch of the root (the very bottom white part), and then pull each leaf away from the head. Wash each one well to remove any dirt. Once the vegetable broth is boiling, add the bok choy to the pot, and once again cover it. Boil the bok choy for about 3 – 4 minutes, just until they become more tender. Once done, turn the heat to low, and add the miso paste, smoked shoyu, rice wine vinegar, and red pepper flakes. Stir this into the broth until all the miso has incorporated and the soup is completely heated through.Then, it's ready to eat! Lay some rice noodles in a bowl, and scoop the ramen broth and veg over the top.
Notes
Nutrition
May you have good food in good company,
That Vegan Nephew
Love love love the combination of ramen and bok choy. Thank you TVN!