My youngest son loves ramen: both the hand-pulled noodle restaurant version and the instant kind. His passion for instant ramen is left over from his first foray, years ago, into the adult world of supporting himself on minimum wage. Thankfully, as he’s matured, he’s become more concerned about eating real food without the MSG, tBHQ, and astronomically high sodium content that is typical in grocery store ramen. But quick easy ramen is still the food he reaches for when he’s in a hurry and needs a fast meal… which explains my quest to develop an easy, healthy, homemade bouillon powder/paste that he can add to his noodle bowls in place of those unhealthy flavor packets that come in store-bought instant ramen noodles.

I set out to create a bouillon with tons of umami flavor that could be used as a powder or a paste and would be perfect for noodle bowls, but also delicious with roasted and sautéed vegetables, omelets, and more. Because my son is a vegetarian, I turned to shiitake mushrooms. As well as being packed with umami deliciousness, they provide a host of health-supporting superpowers. The antioxidant activity of the polysaccharides (beta-glucans) in shiitake helps maintain cell integrity and resistance to free radicals and supports both immune health and cardiovascular health.* 

Store-bought bouillon usually has a lot of salt and sugar. This is partly about flavor and partly to add stability to a product that is going to sit on a store shelf for months at a time. I wanted a bouillon that gave my family more options about salt content and I wanted to add more herbal goodness to the overall flavor blend. So, step one of this recipe is to make an easy, homemade herbal seasoning salt. On its own, this blend is also good on a wide variety of foods, so we keep some handy for everyday cooking. 

If you don’t have time to make this one, you can substitute a premade organic, sugar-free, and herb-heavy seasoning salt. If you go that road, add it slowly to the mushroom bouillon because you won’t know how much salt it includes.

Homemade Seasoning Salt

Makes about 1/3 cup.

To get the right consistency, grind leafy herbs like parsley, thyme, and basil into a powder before measuring. Use either a mortar and pestle or a coffee grinder, put the ground herbs through a mesh strainer, then measure.

Ingredients

• 3 Tbsp. fine sea salt, or to taste (if using kosher salt, you will need a little more)
• 1 Tbsp. organic onion granules or onion powder
• 2 tsp. organic garlic granules or garlic powder
• 1 tsp. organic celery seed powder
• 1 tsp. organic parsley leaf
• 1/2 tsp. organic thyme leaf
• 1/2 tsp. organic basil leaf
• 1/2 tsp. organic coriander seed powder
• 1/2 tsp. organic yellow ground mustard seed
• 1/2 tsp. organic paprika powder
• 1/2 tsp. organic turmeric root powder
• 1/2 tsp. organic ground black pepper

Directions

1. Whisk all ingredients together to thoroughly combine.
2. Store in an airtight jar in a cool dark place. When properly stored, powdered herbs have a shelf life of about 6-12 months. You can keep this in the refrigerator or freezer for longer shelf life.

Mushroom Bouillon Powder

Makes about 1 1/4 cups.

I add nutritional yeast to this recipe for an additional umami boost, and because it provides high-quality protein, fiber, minerals, and vitamins. People with autoimmune diseases or other issues that make nutritional yeast a problem can leave it out or substitute another mushroom powder to help replicate the umami flavor. 

Ingredients

• 1 cup organic shiitake mushroom powder, or culinary mushroom powder(s) of choice
• 3 Tbsp. Herbal Salt Blend (above), or to taste
• 3 Tbsp. Nutritional Yeast flakes, or to taste

Directions

1. Whisk together all ingredients to thoroughly combine. 
2. Store in an airtight jar in a cool dark place. When properly stored, this blend will have a shelf life of 6-12 months. Store in the refrigerator or freezer for longer shelf life.

Pro Tips

• This mushroom bouillon powder can be added by the spoonful to noodle soups or other dishes. Unlike the paste version below, you will need to let it cook a bit to dissolve fully and incorporate all the flavors.
• Shake the jar to reincorporate all the ingredients before using.

Mushroom Bouillon Paste

Making the mushroom bouillon into a paste is ideal for adding to ramen-style soups, as well as sautés, because it melts smoothly. All you’re doing here is mashing together the powder with a fat. I prefer using butter because it adds more depth of flavor and melds nicely with the shiitake and herbs. However, you can replace the butter with other fats, including culinary oils or melted coconut oil. I am not a fan of the coconut oil option because I find it to have a greasy mouth-feel and it of course adds coconut flavor, which isn’t always what I’m looking for, but I’ll leave that up to you. 

I find a ratio of 2 parts bouillon powder to 1 part butter or vegan butter alternative to be ideal (e.g. for every 2 tablespoons of bouillon powder, add 1 tablespoon of butter).

Ingredients

• Mushroom bouillon powder (above)
• Organic salted or unsalted butter or vegan butter alternative, at room temperature

Directions

1. Whisk or shake the jar of mushroom bouillon powder to thoroughly reincorporate the ingredients. 
2. Put 2 parts mushroom bouillon powder into a bowl. Add 1 part room temperature butter.
3. Use a rubber spatula, the back of a spoon, or your fingers to thoroughly mix the powder and butter into a homogenous paste.
4. To freeze, line a sheet pan with parchment or a silicone mat.
5. Measure out 1 or 2 tablespoon size balls of mushroom bouillon paste, depending on how you intend to use the cubes. Place on lined sheet pan and put in freezer until frozen.
6. Put frozen balls into a freezer container and label with name and date made.

Herbal Ramen Broth Instant Noodles

Be sure to purchase quick-cooking ramen or gluten-free noodles without unhealthy preservatives like tBHQ, and you’re on your way to a delicious, healthy, super-fast noodle bowl.

Directions

1. Cook “instant” ramen or gluten-free noodles (millet, mung, sweet potato, etc.) according to package directions.
2. For every 1 1/2 - 2 cups water, stir in 1-2 Tbsp. bullion paste until fully dissolved.
3. Add tamari, soy sauce, toasted sesame oil, white miso, etc. to taste.

Want Another Herbal Noodle Soup Recipe?

Try This Homemade Vegan Pho Recipe with Mushrooms!

You may also enjoy:

• How to Make Herbal Salt Blends + 4 Recipes
• How to Use TCM Herbs for Nourishing Soups
• Vegan Coconut Curry & Sweet Potato Soup

*This statement has not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. For educational purposes only.