Turn on sauté function and add 3-4 cups of water. Once water is simmering, add in 2 bricks of ramen noodles and cook according to package instructions.
Once cooked, drain and rinse with cold water to stop cooking and prevent sticking. Set aside.
Again, using sauté function, heat 1 tablespoon of oil and sauté onion and garlic. Stir frequently to prevent burning the garlic.
Once the onion is translucent and fragrant, add in 1 cup of the vegetable broth, 1/4 cup of tahini, 2 tablespoons miso paste, and 1 tablespoon maple syrup. Stir vigorously until tahini and miso paste have completely dissolved and are well incorporated with broth. This will help prevent the tahini and miso paste from separating or sticking to the bottom of the Instant Pot.
Next add in remaining 3 cups broth. Stir well and add the lid. Make sure the valve is set to seal.
Pressure cook on high for 7 minutes. Release pressure immediately once cooked.
Stir in 2-3 cups spinach and the cooked noodles to warm though. Alternatively, you can add the spinach raw as a topping.
Ladle the ramen into serving bowls and top with desired toppings and chili oil to taste!
Enjoy.
Stovetop Instructions
Add 1 tablespoon of oil to a large pot over medium heat (I used a 5 qt). Sauté onion and garlic until translucent and fragrant. Stir frequently to prevent burning the garlic.
Next, add in 1 cup of the vegetable broth, 1/4 cup of tahini, 2 tablespoons miso paste, and 1 tablespoon maple syrup. Stir until tahini and miso paste have completely dissolved and are well incorporated with broth. This will help prevent the tahini and miso paste from sticking to the bottom of the pot while simmering.
Once incorporated, add in remaining 3 cups vegetable broth. Stir well and add the lid. Allow broth to gently simmer on low heat for 20 minutes, stirring it half way through to be sure miso paste isn't sticking to the bottom of the pot.
When the broth has 5-10 minutes left to simmer, cook your ramen noodles according to package instructions in a separate pot.
After 20 minutes, stir in 2-3 cups spinach and the cooked noodles to warm though. Alternatively, add spinach raw to the top of ramen bowl.
Ladle the ramen into serving bowls and top with desired toppings and chili oil to taste!
Enjoy.
Notes
The broth of this ramen is not actually spicy. I chose to add the chili oil to the top so everyone can spice their ramen to their own liking.
What is silken tofu? Silken tofu is a very soft tofu that has a very high water content. It's great for soups and ramens! I generally buy this one.
Where do I buy chili oil/chili sauce? Your local super market should have some, but if not, I like this one and it is available on Amazon.
How to prevent the tahini from "curdling": When tahini undergoes a drastic temperature change very quickly, it is likely to appear curdled. This affects the appearance of the broth, but still tastes very good. However, to prevent this from happening, you have a few options:
Let the tahini come to room temperature before whisking into the broth. Alternatively, you can microwave the tahini until lightly warmed. This will prevent a temperature shock that will happen when you add cold tahini to hot broth.
Thin the tahini with broth before adding to the ramen broth. This is similar to making a cornstarch slurry. In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the tahini with 1 cup of broth until well emulsified and creamy. Then, add to the soup broth as usual.
Heat gradually. This is easiest to do with the stovetop method. Keep the heat low when combining the broth and tahini until well emulsified, then increase the heat slowly.
Blend the broth ingredients. A lovely reader shared this method and this would work wonderfully. Place the broth, tahini, maple syrup, and miso paste in a high speed blender. Blend for 2-3 minutes, or until fully emulsified and creamy, then add to the pot as usual.