Asian Fusion Udon Bowl with Red Chile Miso Broth

The Vegan Dashi:
8 cups filtered water
3-4 large pieces kombu (dried seaweed)
6-8 dried whole shiitake mushrooms

The Red Chile Miso Broth:
1 medium sweet onion, diced
1/2 medium red bell pepper, diced
1 tablespoon vegetable oil of your choice
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 clove garlic, minced or pressed
2 tablespoons all purpose flour
2 tablespoons vegan butter, like Earth Balance or Melt (or vegetable oil)
1 heaping teaspoon ancho chile powder, to start
1/4 teaspoon chipotle powder, to start
1 teaspoon sweet paprika, to start
1 teaspoon smoked paprika, to start
6 cups vegan dashi, to start
2 to 4 tablespoons miso paste, to start

The Udon Bowl:
Udon noodles, cooked
Baby Boy Choy, halved and steamed
Trader Joes frozen Roasted Corn, steamed (or can be tossed into the prepared broth and allowed to cook)
Fresh shiitake mushrooms, sliced and sautéed in a little vegan butter (or reserved shiitakes from making the vegan dashi)
Sugar snap peas, steamed
1/2 medium red bell pepper, cut into strips
Carrot, julienned
Tofu, cubed, can be air fried, seared, or baked if desired
Wakame flakes, or reserved kombu diced into small pieces
Cilantro, chopped, if desired
Scallions, thinly sliced, if desired
Toasted sesame seeds, if desired
Toasted sesame oil, if desired
Shichimi Togarashi, if desired
Jalapeño pepper, thinly sliced, if desired

To make the vegan dashi, combine water, kombu, and dried shiitake mushrooms in the Instant Pot and cook on high pressure for 10 minutes with quick release at end. Alternatively, combine the water, kombu, and dried shiitake mushrooms in a large pot. Bring to the boil, then cover with lid and slowly simmer for about an hour. When done, pour dashi through a sieve to remove kombu, mushrooms, and any sediment that have resulted from cooking. Set the clear dashi. aside for use in creating the red chile miso broth. Reserve the kombu and mushrooms, if desired, to add to the udon bowl at the end.

To make the Red Chile Miso broth, heat a large pot on medium high heat. Add oil, onion, bell pepper, cumin seeds, and oregano. Sauté until onions are translucent and spices release their aroma. Add minced garlic. Sauté for 1 minute. Pile up the sautéed veggies to one side of the pot. Move the pot so that the heat source is directly under the cleared pot area (not completely necessary but helpful). Now make a roux, by adding the vegan butter and allow to melt. and Sir the flour into the vegan butter. Stir constantly to prevent burning. Cook for approximately 1-2 minutes to remove the “rawness” of the the flour. Don’t allow the roux to brown; one isn’t making a gumbo. Mix the roux and the sautéed vegetables together. Stir in the ancho chile, chipotle powder, sweet paprika, and smoked paprika. Add the vegan dashi. Use a balloon whisk, preferably, to mix all the ingredients together and to remove any lumps. Simmer the broth until slightly thickened. In a separate bowl, add miso paste and Ladle small amounts of the broth into the bowl. Whisk to dissolve the miso. Return the dissolved miso to the large pot of broth. Correct the seasonings if needed. To create a smoother broth, use an immersion blender, food processor, or regular blender to blend the broth into a creamy, smooth broth. If using a blender, make sure to vent the lid of the blender since blending hot liquids can be dangerous as steam builds up. Broth is now ready to serve. Any remaining vegan dashi may be used to thin the broth if it becomes too thick. 

To construct the Udon bowl, center a portion of cooked udon noodles in a large soup bowl. Then place mounds of the different vegetables around the perimeter of the bowl. Ladle portions of broth over the noodles. Add the tofu, green onions, cilantro, toasted sesame seeds, and any other topping desired. Enjoy! It makes about 4 generous servings.