RAMEN NOODLE SOUP

Continuing on my noodle journey, I explored the Japanese noodle dish Ramen last night. As the weather has cooled down ever so slightly at night (for this week at least) I decided some soup would be delightful to slurp whilst sitting in the wind on my patio. Ramen is a wheat noodle which is usually served as a broth or soup and is flavoured with miso soup or soy sauce. Adding broccoli to a ramen dish may have the Japanese turning up their noses, as green onions, seaweed, sliced pork and even corn are the most popular toppings. But to hell with convention. My broccoli’s expiration date was coming up and it added so much-needed vitamins and iron to the dish. This was an extremely simple soup to make and one of the stand out dishes I have made recently. If the weather is cooling down where you are, give it a try!

INGREDIENTS

• 270g ramen noodles
• 1 head broccoli, cut into even-sized florets
• 1 1/2 cups bean sprouts
• 1/2 teaspoon dried chilli flakes
• 6 cups chicken or vegetable stock, preferably Massel brand 
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce 
• 2 heaped tablespoons sesame seeds, plus 1 teaspoon sprinkled on each serving 
• 20g dried shallots

COOKING 

1. Bring a large saucepan of water to the boil. Add ramen noodles and cook, stirring occasionally, for 4-5 minutes or until tender. Drain noodles with cold water in a colander, reserving boiling water in a large serving bowl.  After making sure that the boiling water equals 6 cups water, add stock powder and stir well. Place noodles in the hot stock (if using ready-made stock, you do not need to reserve the boiling water- but note that ready-made stock is much dearer to buy!). 

2. Meanwhile, steam broccoli until just tender. (If you have a steamer this is very easy, however if you do not bring a small saucepan of water to the boil, place a colander above the water with the broccoli florets and cover with the saucepan lid. Steam until just tender. Add broccoli to the soup. 

3. Add bean sprouts, chilli flakes, 2 tablespoons sesame seeds and soy sauce to the soup. Stir gently to combine. Pour soup into four deep bowls and sprinkle each serving with 1 teaspoon sesame seeds and 5g dried shallots. Serve warm. 

Serves / 4 

Total Preparation time / 5 minutes 

Total Cooking time / 15 minutes maximum 

x Emily