RAMEN
Ramen is a daunting dish to make at home, but once you do, you’ll feel so empowered that something so delicious could be made right in your own kitchen!
And while ramen is usually an indulgent meal, we replaced the ramen noodles with edamame and mung bean pasta so that you can enjoy this version any day of the week!
INGREDIENTS: (serves 4-6)
4-6 eggs
1/2 cup low-sodium soy sauce, tamari, or coconut aminos
6 tbsp mirin
14 oz extra firm tofu
2 1/2 tbsp sesame oil
1 medium yellow onion, diced
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 inch knob of ginger, minced
8 oz of shiitake, sliced
1/2 tsp salt
32 fl oz mushroom broth
32 fl oz low-sodium vegetable broth
1/4 cup tahini
1/2 cup white miso paste
8 oz edamame and mung bean fettuccine noodles
10 oz spinach
1 sheet dried nori, torn in pieces
gochuchang, to taste
DIRECTIONS:
Pour water into a pot and bring to a boil. When water is boiling, slowly submerge eggs and set timer for 6 minutes.
Once timer goes off, drain water and run eggs under cold water or put in an ice water bath to stop the cooking process.
When cooled, peel eggs and combine with 1/4 cup soy sauce and 1/4 cup mirin in a plastic or silicon bag. Let eggs marinate in fridge for a minimum of 4 hours or overnight. (If you don’t care to make a traditional “ramen egg” you can absolutely skip this step and just have a regular egg.)
While eggs are marinating, preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
Drain the tofu by wrapping it in a clean tea towel on a flat surface. Balance a cutting board on top and place stack a heavy pots on top to help the excess water press out into the paper towels. Let the tofu drain for at least 15 minutes.
Once tofu is drained, cut into 1 inch cubes, toss in 1/2 tbsp sesame oil and place on a sheet pan. Bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes, flipping halfway through until sides are golden.
While tofu is baking, add rest of oil to a large pot and heat over medium-high heat. Add onion, garlic, and ginger and sauté until tender, for 2-3 minutes. Add in mushrooms and add 1/4 tsp salt and continue cooking until mushrooms are cooked.
Pour in mushroom and vegetable broth to the pot and turn heat to medium-high. Whisk in miso paste, tahini, 1/4 cup soy sauce, and 2 tbsp mirin. Bring liquid to a boil, cover, and reduce to simmer.Transfer mushroom mix to pot with broth.
In a separate a pot, bring water to a boil and cook noodles according to directions on the box.
While noodles are cooking, add spinach to pot and allow to wilt.
When noodles are done, drain them and portion into the bottom of your serving bowls. Ladle broth on top and add tofu, egg (cut in half), nori, and gochuchang.
4Q Journaling Guide: This dish counts as a perfectly balanced lunch or dinner. (It also counts as a perfectly balanced breakfast if that strikes your fancy!)