My Ultimate Guide to Making Slightly Authentic, MSG-free Ramen at Home

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Pictured: homemade ramen broth and Zoe Farms brisket

I am so excited to share with you how we make ramen. When my husband first brought it up to me, all i could think was: "Oh no! Soy! Wheat! MSG! Ahh!" But we made some together in a food sensitivity-friendly way...and it was amazing!

This is how we made it:

1. Ramen Broth

If you are making yours homemade, I recommend planning ahead. For this most recent batch, I had some broth prepared ahead of time that I froze...which is not the same and probably cheating, but it's real life. My hubby used a broth I purchased for him. I had my own because I avoid soy (unless I have a dash of Bragg's Liquid Aminos). However, I tried his and it was amazing. And really, their ingredients are excellent. Aaaaand, the source of soy comes from tamari & miso (which is a fermented soy). It is also gluten-free and I did not have an MSG reaction. So, I will definitely grab this to make ramen on a whim!

Making ramen broth is pretty similar to making stock except to get it cloudy, where I would turn it down to simmer, it stays at more of a boil. Here's what it looks like after it has cooled overnight in my favorite pot (affiliate code: SATIATEDBLONDE).

Here's some recent video footage of the thickest broth we've made to date (with a duck carcass and pig foot from Sparrow Market). P.S. You're going to want to have the volume up for this video!

2. Veggies

I try to add in as many as I can to my cast iron skillet lined with bacon fat! I saute them for a few minutes (it takes a bit longer with the frozen broccoli).

3 handfuls of organic frozen broccoli- I love Cascadian Farms, organic before organic was a thing!
2 thumbs of organic ginger, thinly sliced (as thin as I can get them anyways!)
2 large shallots
2 cloves of organic garlic
1/2 organic red bell pepper
1 serrano pepper
1 jar of kimchi <---love this brand! Frieda's is MSG free! (I also know some of the probiotic quality is lost in warming it, but it is delish...and I have it raw sometimes too!)
organic mushrooms
Eggs- we used all of our eggs at breakfast, but gratefully still had some scrambled ones left over. These were added directly into the bowl since they were already cooked! The eggs I linked to are my favorite (pullets). Vital Farms are the absolute best I can find in the grocery store. Vital Farms also has grass-fed butter!

3. Noodles

If I had glutinous noodles, I would be fast asleep in about two hours and wake up feeling hungover. Lotus Foods Organic Forbidden Rice Ramen noodles have stood the test of time. They cook fast, have a great texture, and make me feel good! I like that I can find these in bulk at Costco now, too!

4. Protein

The protein I add in my ramen bowl revolves around what leftover meat we have in the fridge or sometimes we cook up some sausage.

Mulay's hot sausage- they have a ton of other really awesome products as well!
Leftover brisket
Pepper bacon

5. Toppings

These can also vary on what we have available, but fresh herbs are always a great addition! I use these liberally and mix them all up.

Half a bunch of cilantro
3 organic green onions
whatever other herbs we have that look good

First, I added the rice ramen noodles, scooped in the vegetable mix, eggs, and protein. When the broth has been brought to a boil, I let it simmer for about 15 minutes to get it nice and hot and warm of the rest of the ingredients. Then, I turned off the fire and ladled the thick broth into my bowl. I placed the bacon and finally drowned my bowl with the green toppings. Lastly, I sprinkled some of my favorite Foods Alive black sesame seeds on top (note: sesame seeds are considered high oxalate so I don't use a lot of them personally). Sometimes we add a dash of hot sauce. This time it was Aura Solanales from The Brinery (an awesome fermentation company based in Ann Arbor). Slurp & #GetSatiated!