Servings: 2  |  Preparing time: 15 min  |  Cooking time: 30 min 

Recipe: Chef Anja Lee  |  Tiny Kitchen  |  Winner of Supermarket Stakeout

INGREDIENTS

Ramen Broth

2 tbs Dark toasted sesame oil, divided
3⁄4-1 lbs Chicken breast or thighs, boneless, skin-on
(about 2-3 thighs or 1-2 breasts; use 8 oz. tofu or skip for vegetarian/vegan)
3 tbs Liquid aminos or soy sauce, divided
Sea salt and pepper

3 Scallions, finely chopped, greens and whites divided
1 inch Ginger, peeled and minced
3 Cloves garlic, minced
8 oz (about 2 1⁄2 cups) Shiitake mushrooms, sliced (dried shiitake works too)
1⁄4 cup Saké or Mirin (rice wine)
2 tbs Red miso
Pinch red chili flakes (more will make it spicier)
Dash of white pepper
4 cups Vegetable or chicken broth 

Ramen Toppings

2 Eggs
2 Noodelist ramen cakes 
1 large or 2 small carrots
4 long stems dino kale, removed from stems and chopped (4 oz. spinach works too, or 2 bok choy sliced in half - bok choy needs to be added to the
broth for 5-7 min)
1 tbs Sesame seeds, for topping
Scallion greens (see above)
Chili crisp or chili oil, for topping

INSTRUCTIONS

1) Fill a medium pot with water and 1 tbs of sea salt. Cover and bring to a boil.

2) Prepare chicken/tofu: Salt and pepper chicken/tofu on both sides. Preheat a stock pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat for 30-60 seconds. When pot is hot, add 1 tbs toasted sesame oil and chicken/tofu.

Sear chicken/tofu on one side for 4-5 min, or until golden brown. Flip and sear on other side, about 3-4 mins until golden brown. Drizzle in 1-2 tbs liquid aminos/soy sauce and cook 1 more minute allowing chicken/tofu to absorb sauce. Remove from pan and set on the side on a plate.

3) With heat still on, to make the ramen broth, add one more tablespoon sesame oil to the pot over medium heat. Add the whites of the scallions (reserve the greens for toppings), ginger, garlic and pinch of red chili flakes and cook gently until softened, about 3 min. Do not allow to burn.

4) Add sliced mushrooms and continue to cook until soft and dark, about 3-4 min longer.

5) Add Mirin to the pot and scrape any browning bits from the bottom. Simmer gently until mushrooms are deeply browned and glossy.

6) Add miso and 1 tbs liquid aminos/soy sauce and combine completely. The vegetables should be a deep brown color. Pour in the broth and stir well to incorporate. Add 1⁄4 tbs white pepper and stir. Taste, and add sea salt if needed. Add chicken/tofu. Let sit on a simmer, covered, for at least 15-20 min to combine flavors.

7) Prepare eggs: In pot of boiling water, bring water to a fast simmer, just below boiling. Carefully add eggs to the boiling water. Set timer to 6 min for runny eggs, 7 min for semi-runny eggs.

While eggs are boiling, prepare a large bowl of ice water. When cooked, immediately remove eggs and place into prepared ice bath. Let cool completely. Dump water from pot, refill with water and salt and and bring back to a boil to use for noodles.

8) While soup is simmering, prepare toppings. Grate carrot. Rinse kale and chop. Gently crack and peel eggs. Add kale or other green to broth and cook 2-3 min to soften (5-7 min for bok choy).

9) Cook Noodelist noodles in separate pot of boiling water for 3 mins, or as instructions say on packaging, to be al-dente. Strain immediately and run under cold water to stop from getting sticky.

10) Remove chicken/tofu from pot with tongs and slice to bit sized pieces.

11) To serve: Divide the cooked noodles into two bowls and ladle broth evenly over noodles, adding the mushrooms and kale to the top of each bowl. Add a helping of carrots on top (to be mixed in when eating).

Slice eggs in half and add to each bowl of ramen.

12) Sprinkle with sesame seeds, the reserved green slices of the scallions and optional chili oil. 

Serve hot and enjoy!

See more on Tiny Kitchen for first cooking class for free with Chef Anja Lee.

Instagram: @anjalee.co

Photo: Ronelle