Quick ramen
Quick ramen
This quick ramen recipe is indeed quick yet delicious even if absolutely not an authentic. It has no kombu, shiitake or dashi in the ingredient list.
This quick ramen was born out of necessity. I really needed to go to the gym one day but I slipped up on my food planning and had no idea what to make for after. As any seasoned gym goer knows, the meal after a workout is of key importance. Not just because weight lifting makes you ravenously hungry but also because you should not leave it too long between a workout and having a healthy protein-rich meal.
I knew I wanted my meal to be not just satiating, but also quick and rich in protein and that’s how this inauthentic quick ramen came about. I used what I already had in my fridge and pantry hence no fancy, hard to get ingredients in this recipe. I pre-roasted the veggies before I went so all I had to do upon my arrival was to blend and heat the soup up, cook broccoli and noodles (7 minutes total) and plate. This quick ramen has been serving me well over the weeks so I thought I would share. Enjoy!
MORE ABOUT THE INGREDIENTS
MISO: I used umami-rich miso to flavour this quick and hands-off soup. Miso paste has so much flavour that it’s a fantastic flavour shortcut, its sweet and salty flavour works beautifully against sweet potato. I used mellow white miso (known as shiro miso) but dark miso also works – you may want to use less of it though as its more potent.
SOY MILK: I like using soy milk in soups and stews as not only is it rich in plant protein, it also makes them deliciously creamy. If you dislike soy milk or cannot have it, use a different unsweetened plant milk that you enjoy or some ready-made veggie stock.
NOODLES: Noodles are a key ramen component. I used soba noodles, but any noodles you enjoy will be absolutely fine. If you are gluten-free, pick rice noodles or 100% buckwheat noodles.
SPRING ONIONS: I roasted a couple of lightly oiled spring onions in the oven until soft and jammy and then blended them into the soup for a boost of flavour.
GARLIC: I also roasted a few garlic cloves and blended them into the soup. Roasted garlic is a no-brainer way of adding depth of flavour.
GINGER: Ginger adds a some heat and spice to things and it’s also super healthy so I added it to this soup as well. I roasted it in the oven, alongside garlic cloves and spring onions, to mellow it a little and then blended with the remaining soup ingredients.
SWEET POTATO: Sweet potato is delicious and a healthy starch. I cubed it, tossed it in a little olive oil and roasted in the oven until soft and slightly charred on the outside. I blended some of it with the remaining soup ingredients to give the soup slightly thicker texture and used the rest as topping.
BROCCOLI: Broccoli are just one of many dark green vegetables you can add to this quick ramen soup. I used tenderstem broccoli as I enjoy them a lot, but you could swap them out for regular crown of broccoli, pak choi, green beans or anything else you fancy – just be sure to adjust cooking time to the vegetable you are using, of course.
MUSHROOM: Mushrooms are one of my favourite things so I had to add them to my quick ramen. I cut them thickly, coated them in a touch of oil and soy sauce and let the oven do its thing. Easy.
TOFU: I am a big fan of tofu, its texture and protein content so I added it to this soup too. I used smoked (already pressed tofu), which I coated in some soy sauce and baked until chewy and golden.
SOY SAUCE: Soy sauce is such a staple ingredient, it needs no introduction. I used some to season my oven roasted tofu and mushrooms and a touch more to season my soup at the end.
HOW TO MAKE IT?
1) ROAST SOUP INGREDIENTS AND TOPPINGS
Start off by switching your oven on and prepping a large baking tray. On that tray, arrange oil coated sweet potato cubes, mushrooms, whole garlic cloves and spring onion and soy sauce tossed tofu cubes. Bake for 30 minutes, removing spring onions and garlic cloves and flipping everything else the other side about 20 minutes in.
2) COOK BROCCOLI & NOODLES
While the veggies and tofu are roasting in the oven, boil a pot of water. Simmer broccoli until tender but still a little al dente – my tenderstem broccoli took 2-3 minutes. Remove cooked broccoli with a slotted soup and cook the noodles, according to packet instructions, in the same water. Once cooked, remove the noodles but safe 2 cups (480 ml) of the cooking water – that’s what we will use to make the soup. Toss cooked noodles in a few drops of oil (toasted sesame oil is nice) to stop them from sticking.
3) BLEND
Blend roasted spring onions, squeezed out garlic cloves, peeled ginger, about a third of roasted sweet potato with soy milk and miso paste. Blend until smooth then transfer to a pot with noodle cooking water. Heat up until piping hot.
4) SERVE
Divide noodles and hot soup between two bowls. Top with roasted mushrooms, tofu, sweet potato and cooked broccoli. Garnish with chilli oil (or sesame oil) and spring onion tops.
- 100 g / 3.5 oz noodles
- 140 g / 5 tenderstem broccoli
- 240 ml / 1 cup soy milk
- 400 g / 14 oz sweet potato
- 200 g / 7 oz pressed smoked tofu (I recommend Smoked Tofoo)
- 15 ml / 1 tbsp veg oil (I used mild olive oil)
- 15 ml / 1 tbsp soy sauce (or tamari)
- 150 g / 5.3 oz chestnut/cremini mushrooms
- 30-45 g / 2-3 tbsp white miso paste, more to taste
- 2 spring onions
- 3 garlic cloves
- small chunk of ginger (about 40 g / 1.4 oz)
- chilli or sesame oil, to serve
- Pre-heat the oven to 200Β° C / 390Β° and line a large baking tray with a piece of baking paper. Bring a medium pot of water to a boil and grab a slotted spoon and tongs.
- Cut pressed tofu and sweet potato into 1.25 cm / 0.5″ cubes. Coat sweet potato in 2 tsp of oil and tofu in 1 tbsp soy sauce. Arrange both on the tray.
- Trim the ends of spring onions and remove any dry or dirty bits. Coat or brush cleaned spring onions and unpeeled garlic cloves in a few drops of oil – I use my hands. Add to the tray.
- Slice cleaned mushrooms into thick slices, coat in 1 tsp of oil and 1 tsp of soy sauce. Add to the tray alongside an unpeeled piece of ginger.
- Place the tray in the oven and bake for about 20 minutes – remove spring onions and garlic cloves and flip vegetables to the other side. Carry on roasting for another 10-15 minutes.
- Meanwhile, prep broccoli – cut thicker stems in half. Add to the boiling water and simmer for about 3 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to remove and add noodles to the broccoli water – cook the noodles according to the packet instructions.
- Once the noodles are ready, remove them with tongs band toss in a teaspoon of sesame (or other) oil. Keep about 2 cups (480 ml) of cooking water.
- Place soy milk, a third of the (or more if you prefer the soup even thicker) roasted sweet potato, about 30 g / 2 tbsp of miso paste, squeezed out garlic cloves, roasted spring onions and peeled ginger in a small blender. Blend until super smooth.
- Transfer to a pot alongside noodle cooking water you saved earlier. Warm up, taste and season with either more miso (diluted in liquid first) or soy sauce and a touch of acid (I added a teaspoon of rice vinegar) if needed.
- Divide noodles and broth between two bowls, top with broccoli, mushrooms, tofu and sweet potato cubes. Drizzle with chilli oil or sesame oil to finish.
Gabriel
I meant almond milk, Google translated it wrong. Gabriel
Danke und viele GrΓΌΓe,
I use oat milk.
Thank you and best regards, Gabriel