Fast & Flavorful Ramen: Ready in 30-ish Minutes

Ramen was one of those things we always went out to eat, mainly because crafting that rich creamy broth from scratch demanded hours of hard work. However, I devised my own speedy yet incredibly tasty recipe that anyone can whip up in no time. Let's kick things off by preparing the tare. It's a flavor-packed seasoning sauce that elevates the broth to new levels. In a small saucepan, combine 4 tablespoons of dashi stock or any soup base you have at hand, 2 tablespoons of mirin, 2 tablespoons of soy sauce, half a teaspoon of sugar, 1 whole green onion broken up in smaller chunks, and 1 garlic clove. Half a teaspoon of rice vinegar. Bring the mixture to a boil, then let it simmer on medium heat until it reduces by 50%. Set it aside for later. Now on to the toppings. You have the freedom to customize as you please of course, but I typically opt for some stir-fried vegetables. Sliced onion. Tear the cabbage leaves into smaller chunks. And julienne the carrots. In a pan, saute the onions first with a splash of sesame oil. Then add the carrots and the cabbage. Drizzle in 1 teaspoon of soy sauce, 1 tablespoon of oyster sauce, and a pinch of cayenne pepper. Toss in some mung bean sprouts, and stir everything for about 2 minutes on a medium heat. Set the vegetables aside to cool. To 800 milliliters of vegetable or chicken soup, we must add 100 milliliters of mushroom water. Mushroom water is a byproduct of rehydrating shiitake and wooden mushrooms for about 30 to 40 minutes. This will add a wonderful umami flavor to the broth and nothing will go to waste either. From the bowl, remove 3 to 4 shiitake mushrooms and squeeze out the excess water. Set the wooden mushrooms aside for decoration. Cut the shiitake mushrooms into strips or quarters, whichever you prefer. And slice the carrots into thin discs. Cut the roots of the enoki mushrooms, rinse them under water, and separate them into small clusters. Let's prepare the broth next. In a pot, heat up 2 tablespoons each of sesame oil and olive oil. Alternatively, you can use 4 tablespoons of sesame oil if you don't mind a stronger flavor. For me, it's a little bit too much, that is why I mix two different oils together. Crush in 2 cloves of garlic and a half a teaspoon of ginger paste, or you can use fresh ginger and grate it in the same amount. Cook for 30 seconds, so the garlic and the ginger become fragrant. To the pot, add the diced shiitake mushrooms and carrots. Let them soften up a bit, for about a minute, and after, pour in the soup. Cover the pot and bring to a gentle simmer while you cook the noodles, as stated on the package. As soon as the soup starts simmering, add in enoki mushrooms and cook them for 2 minutes. Then transfer them to a bowl for later use as a topping. Now it's time to assemble our alluring ramen bowls. Start by adding 2 tablespoons of tare to each bowl. Followed by 400 ml of broth. Arrange your noodles as desired, then top with enoki mushrooms, corn, a squeeze of lemon, stir-fried vegetables, wood ear mushrooms, runny yolk eggs, you can see in the description how to make them, a dollop of butter and a chopped green onion to finish everything off. Ramen is a comforting delight that warms both the soul and the belly. And besides, slurping of the noodle is highly recommended, and we all love to do that, right? If you've savored ramen before, share your favorite version down in the comments below. Don't forget to hit the like button and subscribe for more heartwarming video recipes. Until next time, bye bye!