Hello!

I've been a vegetarian for about a year now, and one of the things I miss the most is chicken top ramen! I've been getting my top ramen fix be eating oriental flavor, until I realized a few months ago that it's not vegetarian like I once thought! Sooo I was wondering if anyone knew of any delicious easy ways to make vegetarian top ramen. Thanks for your help!

d.

I always put a little La Choy soy sauce in my Ramen and you can also add some snow peas, shredded carrots, corn, mushrooms, etc...

I was vegetarian during much of my teen years, and I know how weird cravings for non-veggie items can be. (I was even vegan for awhile, which I stopped doing once I realized I was going to fall over from weakness. All vegesauruses need to be sure they're getting all the nutrients their bodies need.) okay, I have some ideas for you.

First of all, ramen ain't that good for you. The packets are really the worst part. I think you can get your fix for the noodles while making the base yourself. This can be done in a number of ways. You can make your own asian style broth. If you want to have the ease of something ready-made, make a large pot of it, divide it into individual portions, and then freeze them. Tada.

Here is a recipe for an asian style broth:
Asian Vegetarian Broth Crock Pot Recipe @ CDKitchen.com :: it's what's cooking online!

Recipe for an asian style broth using normal stock cubes:
Asian-style broth

Info on vegetarian and vegan bullion and powders, including a recipe for bryanna's homemade "chicken-style" broth powder:
Notes from the Vegan Feast Kitchen: HOMEMADE VEGGIE BROTH POWDER, BIG-BATCH CARAMELIZED ONIONS (WITH OR WITHOUT OIL), AND VEGAN ONION SOUP

Or why not add the noodles to a miso soup base? You can make this using miso paste, which is actually very good for you (or you can use miso packets if you have to). Making homemade miso soup is actually very easy. Here's a recipe: Miso soup recipe - Japanese miso soup recipe - Japanese food

You can do the same thing making a vegetarian egg drop soup (if you eat eggs, which I'm assuming you do). Just use vegetable stock as your base. A quick and easy recipe: Miso soup recipe - Japanese miso soup recipe - Japanese food

If you need ramen from a packet, there's a company that makes plenty of vegetarian versions. The noodles are baked, not fried, and they don't use message (which I'm sure affects the flavor, but it's certainly better for you if it's not used). Here's the link: Products List | Sokensha Co.,Ltd

With all of that said, I did some more searching around, and I found an ingredients list for oriental flavored Top Ramen. It's not supposed to have any meat products in it. Check it out:

Ramen Noodles: enriched flour (wheat flour, niacin, reduced iron, thiamine mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid), vegetable oil (contains one or more of the following: canola oil, cottonseed oil, palm oil), contains less than 2% of salt, sodium tripolyphosphate, potassium carbonate, sodium carbonate, tocopherols, t-bhq.

Seasoning Mix: salt, soy sauce powder (wheat, soybeans, malodestrin, salt) (likely MSG), monosodium glutamate (MSG), spices, hydrolyzed soy, corn and wheat protein (MSG, MSG, MSG), garlic powder, caramel color, onion powder, rice oil, citric acid, disodium succinate, dehydrated leek, calcium silicate (anticaking agent), disodium guanylate, disodium inosinate.

(the only thing that could get in the way if you're somewhat extreme about it) Manuractured in a facility that also processes milk, egg, peanuts, fish and shrimp products.

And, to top it off, check out this info from Nissin's website: Nissin Foods - FAQs

"Do you have any vegetarian products?
Our Top Ramen Oriental flavor contains no animal products."

Weird, right? Well, you might be okay with it after all.

Just let me know what has worked for you!