Vegan ramen is a tall order, but Mendokoro Ramenba and Ramen Yushoken are making it happen. Both restaurants announced the arrival of vegan-friendly versions of their famous noodles on Instagram. Instead of bone broth and animal-based ingredients, these bowls claim to offer “the same ramen flavors you’ve loved, now meat-free.”
After years of waiting and asking, vegans, aspiring vegans, and regular diners looking for a lighter option can now enjoy versions of shio, shoyu, and tantanmen ramen without the meat and animal-derived ingredients.
For everyone curious about how they made the broth possible, the restaurant makes its vegan broth out of a stable emulsion of soybeans, water, and plant-based oil extracts. All three ramens are made with the same broth base, but seasoned with different ingredients depending on the type of ramen.
The meat used in the ramen is made of textured vegetable proteins made with different renditions of soy. The “meat” also includes tomatoes, potatoes, seaweed, and other natural aromatics to give it more flavor.
The vegan shio ramen is made with vegan broth, topped with binchotan-grilled vegan meat, and topped off with a drizzle of truffle oil for that extra savoriness. The vegan shoyu is made with vegan broth topped with binchotan-grilled vegan meat, chili paste, and finished off with a drizzle of garlic oil.
For the tantanmen, the same vegan broth is used, topped with the signature plant-based tantanmen ground meat. The meat has been mixed with typical tantanmen spices and seasonings to give it its signature flavor. The dish is then topped off with some chili oil to give it the right amount of heat.
Aside from ramen, though, both restaurants will also be offering another vegan version of a ramen fan favorite: the aji tamago. Instead of using egg, this version of the beloved ramen topping uses soy, potatoes, and tomatoes blended together, marinated, and shaped into the form we all love.
These vegan ramen options are only available in Mendokoro Ramenba and Ramen Yushoken’s BGC branches for now, but we won’t be surprised to find them at more locations soon.