Pickled Wood Ear Mushrooms & Vegan Snow Pea Ramen

This week is crazy busy for me so I’ll keep this post short without skimping on the details or photos of the finished product. This weekend my partner and I went out for a long walk that became super abbreviated about halfway through, thanks to an impromptu rain storm. It didn’t last long but we were proper chilled when we made it back to our place and all thoughts of cold salad were out the window in favor of soup.

Sort of.

I found FRESH wood ear mushrooms and I was so excited to recreate these pickled mushrooms I had at one of the few Asian style restaurants in Ploiesti. But wood ear mushrooms aren’t a meal, especially when you only have 200 grams of them. So then I thought of soup. And then ramen.

And that’s how I ended up with this vegan restaurant style Asian lunch for two.

Vegan mince & snow pea ramen, Nori & scallion soup & pickled wood ear mushrooms

For the soup: Ginger, garlic, lemongrass, scallions & nori with my waste free broth. Simmered for 20 minutes and then ready to go!

For the mushrooms: Rinse mushrooms and boil them for 3 minutes. Drain and let sit or run through a salad spinner to dry. In a bowl combine: Chinese black vinegar, pressed garlic, chili flakes, soy sauce, scallions & half hot chili diced finely. Toss with mushrooms and refrigerate for 10 to 15 minutes. Done!

For the ramen: Cook ginger, leek, shallots & white part of bok choy in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add garlic, vegan mince and snow peas. Cook until snow peas soften and garlic is fragrant, about 5 minutes. If you’re not sure, just give a taste test, it’s chef prerogative to taste things, after all! Cook ramen or other noodles according to instructions on package.

It looks a little saucy, but it’s actually kind of a dry ramen dish. I mixed Sriracha & lime juice and tossed the noodles, pouring the left over sauce on top. But be warned, the noodles will soak up the sauce right away.

And that’s it. My quick little vegan Asian feast for a cold & rainy Saturday afternoon. Give it a try and tell me how much you love it! Hit me up on Facebook or Instagram with photos or links to your vegan Asian extravaganza!