Ramen recipe redux - now with vegetable broth adaptation

Yes, strict vegetarians and vegans can now use my Ramen Noodle Soup recipe (changes noted directly on the original posting). I tried it today with vegetable broth instead of dashi and chicken bouillon. I still came out pretty good. I think it lacks the tastiness that the other ingredients bring, but I think it still works.

I've never been happy with the flavor/taste of commercially prepared vegetable broth, so I also tried my hand at making my own. Most vegetable stock recipes say just chop up the vegetables, throw into a pot, then let cook for a long time. To me anyway, the result is stock that tastes too much like raw vegetables.

What I tried was to first roast and fry the vegetables before simmering them in water. I don't know if that ultimately makes any difference, but to my tastebuds, the result was more pleasing.

For anyone that is interested, here is my Roasted Vegetable Stock recipe.

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Roasted Vegetable Stock

Makes: 3-4 quarts
Total Cooking Time: Approx 2 hrs.

Ingredients:
Part A --

• 1 Bell Pepper, cut into six pieces
• 3 stalks Celery, cut into 2 in. lengths
• 1 or 2 Carrots, cut into 2 x ½ in. lengths
• 1 Leek, cut into 2 in. lengths

Part B –

• 1 medium Onion, quartered and sliced into ¼ in. widths
• 3 cloves Garlic, sliced thin

 

• Olive oil, enough to coat vegetables
• Water to fill large kettle or pot (approx. 1 gallon)
• 1 – 2 tbsp. Salt

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 450F.
2. Wash and prepare vegetables.
3. On baking pan or dish (may need more than one), drizzle some olive oil to coat bottom of pan. Arrange vegetables in Part A, single layer onto pan or dish, then drizzle more olive oil on top of vegetables. Spread the oil around to ensure vegetables are well coated.
4. Place pan with vegetables in oven and roast for approx. 30 minutes.
5. When vegetables are aromatic and the surface of the leeks and peppers have started to brown, remove vegetables from oven.
6. While vegetables are roasting per step 4, in a large kettle, heat about 1 tbsp. of oil on medium to medium high. When hot, fry the garlic until it starts to turn golden. Add onions and continue to fry until the onions become translucent.
7. Add the vegetables (with any remaining oil) from step 5 into the kettle and fill it full with water. Add salt.
8. Bring to boil, and then simmer for about an hour.
9. Let cool, strain, and pour into containers. This should be good in the refrigerator for several days and up to 3 months in a freezer.
10. It’s a shame to let perfectly good vegetables go to waste. You may want to use the cooked vegetables and some of the stock as base for a soup. (E.g., add some potatoes, more seasonings, and then blend it into a cream-style vegetable soup.)

Note: There is relatively little salt in this stock, so you will likely need to add more salt than is called for in recipes that use commercially made soup stock. You can add other vegetables, herbs and spices (such as black peppercorn) to give the stock its own, unique flavor. Avoid strongly flavored vegetables such as broccoli and cabbage.