Miso Ramen

MISO RAMEN

The dashi, or soup stock, in which bonito flakes and kombu (seaweed) are cooked and drained, is the heart and soul of ramen. This ramen with miso sauce is fantastic.

My appetite has dwindled recently, especially at lunch. I’m not sure why; it could be the heat.

My lunches are difficult because I’m not a fan of sandwiches and salads, but Chinese and Malaysian food with rice, stir-and fry’s curries seems too heavy lately.

For my lunch, I was looking for something light, and this bowl of handmade hot miso ramen saved the day. Cold soba noodles and oden, in addition to ramen, have been among my recent culinary favorites.

My favorite type of cuisine is Japanese, because it’s so light and refreshing. Ramen-making always seemed difficult to me, but I was pleasantly delighted to learn that it can be a breeze if you’re prepared to cheat a little.

Cooking is one of my pastimes, and as you all know, I’m a bit of a cheater when it comes to it. When making ramen, the most important ingredient is the dashi, which is made by simmering bonito flakes and kombu (seaweed) in water and then straining the broth. I substituted hondashi or a powdered MSG substitute because I didn’t have both components.

My spicy miso ramen at Santouka, my favorite ramen shop, came out almost exactly like this. I couldn’t get enough of the hot and flavorful miso ramen. Finally, my hunger has returned!

Each serving of this recipe has only 583 calories.

INGREDIENTS:

• 170 g of fresh ramen noodles
• 4 cups of water
• 4 tablespoons of white miso paste
• 3-4 teaspoons of chili oil
• 1/2 teaspoon of hondashi
• 2 hard-boiled eggs
• 1/2 can of corn kernels
• 1 narutomaki
• 1 finely chopped stalk of scallion
• 1 tablespoon of pounded white sesame seeds
• light soy sauce
• seasoned roasted seaweed

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Add the hondashi, eggs, and finely powdered sesame seeds to the boiling water. 3.5 cups of broth from the soup base, cooked and reduced. Use a ladle of chopsticks to thoroughly dissolve the miso paste. To taste, combine the chili oil with the light soy sauce (optional).
2. Pour boiling water over the ramen noodles and let them cook for a few minutes until they’re tender. Drain and set aside after rinsing under cold running water.
3. Serve the noodles with the sliced hard-boiled egg, narutomaki, corn kernels, and scallion on top of the noodle mixture. Add the toasted seaweeds to the miso soup in the bowl. Serve at once.