The global pandemic has taken its psychological toll, especially on families with young children who are balancing home-schooling, getting work done and staving off cabin-fever. This recipe is a cheap, easy, one-pot method to make steaming bowls of umami-packed noodles that can be enjoyed by the whole family (or all your roommates). It is total comfort food and chicken soup for the soul (without the chicken).
Ifung's Veggie Ramen in an Instant (Pot)
Ingredients
4-6 eggs to soft-boil (omit if you want this to be vegan)
1 cup yellow onions, sliced
8 ounces mushrooms, sliced
1 cup Napa cabbage, thinly sliced
3 green onions, chopped
4 garlic cloves, chopped
2 large carrots, cut into matchsticks or grated
1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
1 tablespoon olive oil
4 cups vegetable broth
2 cups water
4 tablespoons miso paste
1 tablespoon mirin
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1/4 cup coconut milk
2 cups spinich leaves
8 ounces dry ramen noodles
Sesame seeds for garnish
Instructions
(You will need a pressure cooker. I use an Instant Pot, and these instructions assume you use one. Please follow the instructions on your own pressure cooker if you are using a different brand or a manual pressure cooker.)
1. Slice and prep all the veggies.
2. Turn on Saute mode on Medium. Heat 1 tbsp sesame oil and 1 tbsp olive oil. Add the onion and cook 4 minutes until lightly browned. Add the garlic and stir constantly for 30 seconds. Add the vegetable broth and water and turn off Saute mode.
3. Stir in the mushrooms and carrots, miso paste and mirin. Affix and lock the lid of the Instant Pot.
4. Turn on High Pressure mode for 3 minutes. Note that it takes about 10 minutes for the machine to "preheat" and pressurise.
5. When the cooking cycle is finished, release the steam with the quick release, taking care to keep your hands and face away from the hot, venting steam.
6. Turn on Saute mode to Low. Add the dry ramen noodles and cook according to the directions on the package (usually about 3 mintues).
7. Stir in the coconut milk, green onions, cabbage, spinich and cook 1 minute more. Taste and add more miso paste to taste.
8. Soft boil the eggs. If you want to do this properly, you'll need to soft boil the eggs in a separate pot. Or, if you want quicker results, crack the eggs into the ramen soup in different locations in the Instant Pot (so you can locate and divvy them up later). Allow to eggs to cook for a few minutes.
9. Turn off machine.
10. Serve in large soup bowls and garnish with sesame seeds. Make sure to slurp loudly, and enjoy! Yum!
Tips
Since it is Tofu Tuesday, feel free to add some tofu to the ramen!