Miso ramen noodle soup

Here is a shortcut to a traditionally complex, time-consuming Japanese noodle soup that is very much an everyday meal. I am a noodle addict and this is one of my favourite ways to eat them. There are many different ways to make a ramen noodle soup, using different soup bases, such as miso, soy, salt (clear broth) and tonkotsu (“pork bone’’ cloudy white broth). Most Japanese noodle shops spend hours and hours making and perfecting all of these, but I can’t wait that long! This is my hot miso ramen in 20 minutes!

Ingredients

150 g	Chicken mince (Main)
1 Tbsp	Toban djan, see pantry notes
3	Garlic cloves, chopped
1 Tbsp	Gochujang, see pantry notes, optional
15 g	Butter
1 Tbsp	Ginger, finely chopped
2 ½ Tbsp	Miso paste
2 tsp	Brown sugar
2 Tbsp	Soy sauce
2 Tbsp	Mirin
½ tsp	Dashi, powder
150 g	Cabbages, cut into small pieces
1 to fry	Olive oil
4 servings	Ramen noodles, 120g each (Main)
100 g	Mushrooms, mixed
1 to serve	Spring onion, chopped
0 to serve	Sweetcorn kernels

Directions

1. Marinate chicken mince with toban djan and gochujangin a small bowl for 10 minutes.
2. Place a wok or large pot over high heat and add butter. When melted add finely chopped garlic and ginger. Stir fry until fragrant.
3. Add the marinated chicken mince and cook for 2-3 minutes or until the chicken is cooked.
4. Add 1.2 litres of water, bring to boil and add miso paste, sugar, soy sauce, mirin and dashi. Stir until everything is dissolved and simmer on low heat.
5. Place a frying pan over medium-high heat and add a tablespoon of oil. Add cabbage and mushrooms, season with salt and white pepper and stir fry for a couple of minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.
6. Boil water in a large pot and cook ramen noodles as per packet instructions until al dente (firm to the bite). Drain water and place the noodles in 3-4 serving bowls.
7. Add the soup to each serving bowl and garnish with spring onion, sweetcorn kernels and stir fried cabbage and mushroom.

Pantry notes

• Toban djan is a fermented soybean sauce with chilli. Use this Chinese condiment to add spiciness to dishes.
• Gochujang is a spicy Korean chilli paste that adds a deep red colour to dishes.

Both these ingredients, along with miso paste, mirin, dashi powder and ramen noodles are available at some supermarkets or at Asian grocers. I often substitute ramen with wavy egg noodles.