Gordon Ramsay’s cauliflower ramen makes a deep vegan broth in 8 minutes flat. Dried shiitake steep in hot water with miso, mirin and soy, then crispy fried cauliflower, tofu and noodles go on top. About 20 minutes all in.
This is the ramen from Ramsay in 10, printed as Cauliflower, Ginger and Sesame Ramen, and the dish behind his Homemade Ramen Made Quick video, 2.4 million views. On camera he holds up the dried shiitake and calls them “the secret ingredient”.
The broth is the trick. Shiitake go into hot water off the heat and infuse for 8 minutes, releasing the umami a traditional broth needs hours to build. Miso, mirin and soy do the rest.
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Gordon Ramsay Cauliflower Ramen
Course: DinnerCuisine: JapaneseDifficulty: Easy2
servings5
minutes15
minutes820
kcal20 min
The Cauliflower, Ginger and Sesame Ramen from Ramsay in 10, his only vegan-friendly ramen. An 8-minute shiitake broth with crispy rice-flour cauliflower where the meat would be.
Ingredients
10g dried shiitake mushrooms
140g (2 nests) egg noodles
240g (2½ cups) cauliflower florets
1 tbsp rice flour, for dusting
Vegetable oil, for frying
2 tbsp toasted white sesame seeds, from a jar
2 tbsp sesame oil
80ml (3 fl oz) mirin
4 tbsp light soy sauce
80g (3¼ oz) white miso paste
1 tbsp chopped ginger, from a jar
150g (⅔ cup) diced tofu
- To serve:
2 spring onions, finely sliced
Shichimi togarashi seasoning (optional)
1 lime, quartered
Directions
- Infuse the broth: Bring 500ml (2 cups) water to a simmer in a small pan. Add the shiitake, remove from the heat and leave to infuse for 8 minutes.
- Soak the noodles: Fill the kettle and bring to the boil. Pour over the noodles in a heatproof bowl, stir to separate and soak for 4 minutes, or as the packet says.
- Prep the cauliflower: Grate the florets and slice the stalks. Toss all of it in the rice flour to coat.
- Fry the cauliflower: Heat a thin layer of vegetable oil in a large non-stick frying pan over medium-high heat. Fry the cauliflower for 4 to 5 minutes until golden brown. Drain on kitchen paper, then toss with the toasted sesame seeds.
- Season the noodles: Drain the noodles and toss with the sesame oil.
- Finish the broth: Return the shiitake stock to a medium heat. Stir in the mirin, soy sauce, miso paste and ginger.
- Slice the onions: While the stock warms, finely slice the spring onions.
- Assemble: Divide the noodles between two bowls, add the tofu and cauliflower. Pour over the warm stock, top with spring onions and shichimi if using, and serve with lime wedges.
Notes
- The book’s “if you have more time” extra: top with soft-boiled eggs if you’re not vegan. Simmer for 6 minutes, cool under cold water, peel and halve.
FAQs
How does the broth get so much flavour without stock?
The shiitake do the work. Steeped in hot water off the heat for 8 minutes, they release the umami a real broth takes hours to develop, then miso, mirin and soy build on it. In the video Ramsay starts with plain water on purpose and says vegetable or chicken stock work too.
His chicken ramen is the full-stock version, miso and dashi over crisp-skinned chicken, 30 minutes instead of 20.
What does Ramsay do differently in the video?
He drops the noodles straight into the broth with the gas off instead of soaking them separately. Togarashi and chilli flakes go into the broth rather than on top. The sliced cauliflower stalks slip into the stock too, “so delicious, like the stalks on a broccoli”.
He also snips in strips of seaweed and finishes with coriander. One number to ignore: on camera he uses a tablespoon of miso where the book weighs out 80g, and the book’s ratio is the one balanced for 500ml of water.
Are the soft-boiled eggs part of the recipe?
In the book they’re the “if you have more time” extra. In the video they go in from the first minute, 6 minutes at a gentle boil, with his warning: “Don’t boil them ferociously. They’ll get that sort of black line around the outside.” His peeling trick, crack the base, blow, dip back in the water.
Six minutes gives the firmer yolk a ramen egg needs. His boiled eggs for soldiers run 4 and a half, softer on purpose. Same egg, two targets.
Why grate the cauliflower and dust it in rice flour?
Grated cauliflower fries in 4 to 5 minutes flat, and the rice flour jacket is what makes it crisp in a shallow fry. No batter, barely any oil.
Same book, same trick as his bang bang cauliflower, where that flour coat carries a maple and sriracha sauce instead of a broth.
Is this actually vegan?
The broth is, the noodles aren’t. Egg noodles contain egg, so for a fully vegan bowl swap in rice or soba noodles and skip the eggs on top. The book’s V and DF marks assume you make that swap.
His soba noodle salad runs the same Japanese flavours cold, buckwheat noodles in a sesame and rice vinegar dressing.
