Month: April 2020

Noodle soup for the soul

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I make this dish at least once a month. It’s incredibly easy, and oh so comforting. I’m penning this down in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, in the hope that this brings some small comfort to others.

soup.jpg

Homemade chicken broth makes the world of difference, so if you have any stashed about in your freezer – now is the time for it to shine. It’s incredibly versatile,  so here are a few substitution suggestions you can easily make:

  • If you don’t have fish tofu, you can easily swap with fish balls, tofu, any kind of seafood or thinly sliced protein
  • Similarly if you don’t have Chinese broccoli feel free to use whatever veggies you have in the fridge – bok choy, wombok / Chinese cabbage, bean sprouts, broccoli, peas etc. – all will work a treat!
  • I’ve used wheat noodles, but you can easily use any kind of noodle you like – rice, sweet potato, mung bean etc.
  • If you don’t have homemade stock, feel free to use store bought. I do find however, that homemade stock just tastes better – can’t explain it.
  • I make flavoured onion oil every couple of weeks. This is basically the residual oil in the pan, after I shallow fry sliced onions until crispy in. I use those crispy onion pieces to dress salads for a bit of crunch. I’ll admit, it’s a bit of an effort to go through to drizzle over your noodles, so if you cannot be bothered with that fuss feel free to use sesame oil or chilli oil. Both are delicious.

Recipe makes enough for 2 serves. If you’re extra hungry however you may wish to add more noodles / veggies / protein.

Ingredients 

  • 4 cups x chicken stock
  • 2 cups x  Chinese broccoli, sliced (I like my veggies cut into bite sized pieces for soupy noodle dishes)
  • 6 x large fish tofu pieces (add more if you prefer!)
  • 1 x large red chilli, sliced (I keep the seeds in, but remove seeds if you prefer less spice)
  • 100g x dried noodles, cooked to packet instructions
  • 1 inch x sliced fresh ginger (feel free to leave out / swap with a pinch of powdered ginger)
  • 2 x teaspoons light soy sauce, to serve
  • 2 x tablespoons onion / sesame / chilli oil, to serve

Method 

  • Cook noodles according to packet instructions, and dish them into two ramen bowls.
  • Heat chicken stock in a saucepan on medium to low heat. Add in sliced ginger and fish tofu at this stage. I like to leave the fish tofu pieces whole, but feel free to slice / cut them into smaller pieces, whatever suits your fancy.
  • Arrange the sliced chilli in each bowl, on top of the noodles.
  • When the stock comes to a gentle simmer, add in the veggies to the saucepan. Once the veggies are cooked  through, turn off the heat. Remove the veggies from the saucepan, and divide them between the ramen bowls. The veggies cook extremely quickly – I like mine with a good amount of crunch, and so I usually remove them from the saucepan as soon as they turn a deep vibrant green colour (see picture).
  • Pour one teaspoon of light soy sauce over the noodles in each bowl.
  • Pour one tablespoon of your flavoured oil of choice over the noodles in each bowl.
  • Carefully ladle the chicken stock into each bowl. Take care not to serve the ginger slices! Serve piping hot and enjoy.