If you haven't figured out by now, I love trying to take my favorite take out recipes, or typically unhealthy foods and recreate them at home in less time, with better quality ingredients. Ramen is definitely a 'hot' food right now, in that there are all sorts of noodle bars showing up all over the place. And while I love these new places, it seems silly sometimes to get take out for a basic broth, noodles and veggies. So why not just make it at home?
I've seen a lot of recipes that require hours upon hours of time to make a solid broth. Now, don't get me wrong, there are times in which this is totally necessary, but a great broth can be made in about 30 minutes with just a few ingredients that you likely have in your pantry already. I start by sauteing some mushrooms - I like to use baby bella, but any would do here. Saute them in some olive oil and minced garlic. I used dried minced onion, mostly because Frank doesn't love chunks of onion in anything, so its easier for me to use dried, but you can also dice an onion and brown these all together. Once they begin to cook down, lower the heat and add in your other remaining veggies. This time around I used some thinly sliced carrots, red pepper and some peas. You can use literally any veggie, just make sure that its cut thin enough so that it'll cook in the 30 minutes while on the stove. Saute these for a few minutes, and then pour in your broth and water. I make sure to get low or no sodium, or if I have homemade stock on hand, I'll use that. At this point you can add in your remaining ingredients up to the noodles and cover and let simmer for 20-30 minutes. This time around I used some leftover cooked shrimp as my protein, but you could do chicken, beef, keep it all veggie, whatever. Because my shrimp were already cooked, I did not add them in until about 3 minutes before I was ready to serve.
This is usually when I'll start my soft boiled eggs. This is one of my favorite parts about ramen, so I almost always take the time to do it. If you've never made them - they're super easy. Boil eggs for about 7 minutes, and put into an ice bath for a few minutes before you peel. Don't cut them until your bowl is ready as the yolk will get runny. In the same thought, your noodles will take about 3-5 minutes to cook as well, so make these when you're just about ready to eat. As I mentioned in my Pad Thai recipe, make sure to rinse them with cold water before you add to the soup. I like to keep my extra noodles in a separate container in the refrigerator. I really like using Thai Kitchen rice noodles - they're super thin, and gluten free. You can find them really at any local grocery store - check in the aisle with all the Asian supplies if you can't find them in the pasta aisle.
Top this warm bowl with some green onion, sriracha, or sesame seeds. With the flexibility of your ingredients - this noodle bowl is so much easier than you may have thought.
Homemade Ramen
Prep Time: 10-15 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Ingredients
1 cup sliced baby bella mushrooms
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 teaspoon minced onion (I used dried but you can use fresh if you prefer)
1/2 thinly sliced red pepper
1/2-3/4 cup thinly sliced carrots
1/3 cup frozen peas
1/4 cup rice vinegar
1/4 cup soy sauce or tamari
3 cups low sodium veggie broth
1 cup water
1 tablespoon sriracha
1 heaping teaspoon of minced ginger
1 teaspoon sesame seeds
1/2 package of Thai Kitchen thin rice noodles
1 1/2 cups cooked shrimp
2 soft boiled eggs
Directions
Prep all your veggies first - trust me it'll make it easier!
In a soup bowl, over medium to high heat, saute garlic and mushrooms until browned.
Lower heat and add in remaining vegetables. Saute for 3-5 more minutes.
Add in all your broth and water. Then mix in rice vinegar, soy sauce, sriracha, ginger, and sesame seeds. Allow to simmer 20-30 minutes.
If you're adding a soft boiled egg - start the water and boil egg for 7 minutes before putting into an ice bath. Let it cool until you're ready to eat.
Similarly, cook your noodles according to directions about 5 minutes before you want to eat. Add your cooked protein in the last 5 minutes of cooking to the broth.
When ready, place noodles in bowl, and pour broth and veggies over it. Top with your favorites, or sesame seeds, green onion or sriracha.
xx
Rita
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