Spicy Vegetarian Miso Ramen Soup

Before I start practicing turbo kickboxing in my very own living room, I would like to share the spicy miso ramen I prepared for my husband's dinner.  It's a noodle soup that is packed with flavor and is good to serve on cold evenings.

Spicy Vegetarian Miso Ramen Soup

Serves 2

Ingredients

• 5 cups of seaweed stock (how to make seaweed stock listed below)
• 3 tbsp white miso paste
• 1/2 tsp vegetable oil
• 6 oz ground seitan ( I used Trader Joe's Beef-less Ground Beef)
• 1 tbsp vegetarian mushroom "oyster" sauce
• 1 tsp shoyu
• 1/4 cup raw peanuts
• 1/4 cup chopped daikon
• 1/8 cup canned corn
• 1 chopped green onion
• 2 stalks of bok choy
• 2 tsp brown rice syrup
• 1 tbsp of red chili paste (you can add less or more depending on how spicy you want)
• 1 eight oz package of noodles (I use Tofu Shirataki Noodles but you can substitute with kelp noodles or ramen)

1. Bring the 5 cups of seaweed stock to a boil then simmer and add 1/4 of raw peanuts.  This gives the soup a rich meaty taste.  Add 1/4 cup daikon and simmer for 30 minutes.  Follow steps 2 through 3 while simmering the soup for 30 minutes. 
2. In a skillet, add 1/2 teaspoon of vegetable oil and ground seitan.  Add 1 tablespoon vegetarian mushroom sauce and stir fry ground seitan for about 3 minutes.  Set aside.
3. Boil the tofu noodles in a pot with water, drain and set aside.
4. Returning to the soup, add 2 stalks of bok choy, mix 3 tablespoons of miso paste, 1 tablespoon of shoyu, 1 tablespoon of red chili paste and 2 teaspoons of brown rice syrup.  You can add less miso paste depending on how salty you want the soup to taste. 
5. Place 4 ounces of boiled tofu noodles in a serving bowl.  Pour soup over the noodles and sprinkle ground seitan, corn and green onions.  You can also add enoki mushrooms or tofu to this dish.  Serve and enjoy!

Seaweed Stock

Ingredients

• 2 cups wakame seaweed  (I usually purchase this at the produce section in the Asian markets.  I once found it right next to the seitan displayed at the Southern California 99 Ranch Market)
• 6 cups water

1. Bring water to a boil and add 2 cups of wakame seaweed.
2. Simmer for 10 minutes and drain the stock and save in a container. The seaweed can be chilled and used in a seaweed salad.