Comfort Ramen, by Kyla Harris

Download a printable copy of this recipe

Image description: A scan of a collaged image of a bowl of ramen. A red piece of paper has been folded in the shape of a bowl. In the bowl there are two halves of a boiled egg, a clump of sliced spring onions, a block of ramen noodles, two pointy black chopsticks, and a handful of shiitake mushrooms which appear to be falling into the bowl from above.

There is nothing more life affirming than a warm broth, intense with flavour, contrasted by silky noodles. Too grandiose and sweeping of a statement? Definitely. But this is how I feel about ramen. This is an ever changing recipe, adaptable to what’s in the fridge, time, and, of course, personal taste.

At times when it is difficult to access the outside world, or I desperately need a creative, meditative day in the kitchen, this is the dish I make. To me, food truly has transformative powers. Fire, salt, fat and acid change any ingredient, and in this recipe, combined, they become a bowl of nostalgia and comfort that i hope you take as much pleasure in as I do.

Note: For maximum flavour, cook the stock beforehand and strain the next day. If making the stock from scratch is too arduous, you can use pre-made stock, boil it with the star anise and ginger for 20 minutes, discard them, and then go to the “turning stock to broth” instructions below.

SERVES 4

INGREDIENTS

For the Stock:
1 kg carrots (finely chopped)
6 large white onions (finely chopped)
500g of shiitake or chestnut mushrooms, or a mixture of both (finely chopped)
10 celery stalks (finely chopped)
50 grams parsley, including stalks (finely chopped)
6 bay leaves
8 whole star anise
a small handful of whole peppercorns
4 litres of water
3 tbsps vegetable bouillon (I recommend marigold vegetable bouillon, reduced salt)
a thumb of peeled ginger
olive oil or sesame oil for frying
a handful of dulse or wakame seaweed (optional)

For the Ramen:
1 packet of Biona Organic spelt noodles for stir fries
6 finely chopped spring onions
500g shiitake mushrooms
4 free range eggs
large pinch of salt

Turning the stock to broth:
3 tbsps marmite
1 level tbsp sriracha or equivalent
4 tbsps soy sauce or tamari (and more to taste)

For the Stock (if making from scratch):

1. Prepare the onions, carrots, celery and mushrooms by finely chopping them into small cubes. Tis can be a laborious process, but the more surface area you have in a vegetable, the more flavour you can extract.
2. Heat a large pot and add oil. You may have to do the next steps in batches
3. Fry the onions until golden brown. Add the celery and stir frequently.
4. Add the star anise and bay leaves. Stir until aromas are released. Put all contents into a large bowl.
5. Fry the carrots. Once almost browned, add the ginger. Stir and cook for another 3-5 minutes. Remove the contents and add to the large bowl.
6. Fy the mushrooms until browned. Add the peppercorns and cook for 3-5 minutes.
7.Place the large bowl of vegetables and spice into the stock pot.
8. Add the parsley. Cover with water. Stir in 3 tbsps of bouillon.
9. Let the stock boil for half and hour and then simmer for a further hour.
10. One the stock has finished cooking, let it cool. Strain and reserve the liquid.

For the ramen:

1.Slice the mushrooms for the ramen and put in a bowl. Add four tablespoons of sriracha and set aside.
2. Finely slice the spring onion and set aside.
3. Put at least six large ladles full of stock into a pot.
4. Add the ingredients to turn the stock into the broth (see above), and gently simmer.
5. Gently fry the mushrooms in oil during the below steps:
6. Put two medium sized saucepans on the stove, fill them 2/3 full of water, and put to a boil. The eggs and noodles will have to be cooked at the same time.
7. In one of boiling water, gently place 4 eggs, and cook for 6 minutes.
8. In the other pot of boiling water, add a large pinch of salt, and once it’s back up tot the boil, add one nest of noodles per person.
9. Run cold water over the eggs. Peel the eggs and reserve.
10. Cook the noodles for 1 minute less than the recommended time. Strain and reserve.
11. In individual bowls, place a nest of noodles, and stock. Pile the mushrooms in one section on top of the noodles. Do the same for the spring onion. Place an egg on top, and slice down the middle, exposing the yolk.
12. Take a brief moment to be proud of your ramen endeavour, then dig in!

Kyla is a visual artist, writer and activist who explores the perspective of ‘the other. Her work subverts, relationships with the body, capitalism and normativity. Kyla is the creator of The Other Screen, a film event dedicated to widening the outlooks of disabled people and the d/Deaf community. She is currently writing a television series for Channel 4.

Audio description of Comfort Ramen, by Kyla Harris

Next recipe – Leah Clements’ Sweet Jacket Potato