Ramen is easily one of my favorite comfort foods. It’s both rich and light, hearty yet veggie-packed, spicy and subtle. It’s a masterpiece, to say the least. My favorite ramen restaurant in my hometown of OKC is Goro Ramen (read more about them here), and I always order their vegan Yasai Ramen—vegan broth, tofu, roasted tomato, mushrooms, fried shallots and green onions. They do specials on Mondays, and occasionally they feature a curry ramen. It’s not vegetarian, but my husband has had it and thinks it’s killer.

Last night, finally, we took the plunge and cooked our own ramen at home, using the curry ramen special at Goro as inspiration! It’s really more of a Thai curry noodle soup than a traditional ramen, but I thought it was thoroughly delicious. The broth is incredibly flavorful, and we loaded the bowl up with tons and tons of veggies. I kept my meal fully vegan, but you could also add a soft boiled egg if you wanted. This is such an easy weekend meal that you’re sure to add into your monthly rotation!

INGREDIENTS

• 2-3 packs of ramen, seasoning packets removed (we only used 2 packs here, but we wished we’d had 3)

• 6 c. vegetable broth (I highly recommend using Better Than Bouillon’s Seasoned Vegetable Base)

• 1 T. sesame oil

• 1 c. shredded carrots

• 1 c. sugar snap peas

• 1 c. frozen corn

• 1 c. sliced shiitake mushrooms

• 1 yellow onion, sliced

• 6 cloves garlic, minced

• 2 T. fresh ginger, minced

• 3 T. Thai red curry paste

• 2 t. curry powder

• 1 - 13.5 oz. can coconut milk

• Juice of one lime

• Fresh cracked black pepper

• Cilantro and chopped green onions, to garnish

STEPS

1) Heat the sesame oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Once hot, add the garlic and ginger and cook for one minute. Add the yellow onion and cook for two minutes.

2) Next, add the carrots and sauté for two minutes, then add the mushrooms and sauté for another minute. Add the red curry paste and curry powder and stir well to combine. Cook for one minute.

3) If you have some burnt bits on the bottom, pour in a bit of the vegetable broth to deglaze the pan. Stir well, then pour in the rest of the vegetable broth and the coconut milk. Season well with cracked black pepper.

4) Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce and simmer for 20 minutes. Add the noodles and cook for about 5-7 minutes are until the noodles are done.

5) Cook the corn according to package directions and pour into the pot. Add the juice of one lime and stir well.

6) Serve and top with cilantro and roughly chopped green onions.