Here's evidence that a great bowl of ramen doesn't need pork or chicken
Speaking selfishly, I think one of the great benefits of the boom in American ramen joints is the growing presence of plant-based bowls. No longer do vegans and vegetarians need to avoid noodle houses altogether just because every broth in the place is based on an animal stock. In Los Angeles - of course! - one of the hottest places in town is Grand Central Market's Ramen Hood, where every dish is vegan.
For cooks who want to make ramen at home, Chloe Coscarelli's recipe in her new book "Chloe Flavor" (Clarkson Potter, 2018), inspired by a bowl she had at Ramen Hood, uses coconut milk to add a silkiness sometimes missing from vegan versions. Before it goes in (along with vegetable broth), you quickly cook down shiitake mushrooms and baby bok choy and add a little curry and garlic for seasoning depth. The noodles can be instant ramen (without that seasoning packet, please), fresh vegan ramen noodles when you can find them, or udon or soba.
Coscarelli knows that toppings go a long way toward creating a good bowl of ramen, and the tofu treatment the chef uses here is one of the best I've cooked in a long time. You pan-fry cubes until crispy, then glaze them in sticky-sweet hoisin. It's even good enough to satisfy the carnivores at your table, too.
The only problem is that you might pop too many of them in your mouth before you get a chance to ladle the ramen and its broth into bowls. So try to restrain yourself.