Even though the sun is shining as I type this and the insanely cold, northern wind has gone away for a few days, it has been pretty chilly here lately. When the weather is like this we tend to work loads to compensate for all the time we will HAVE to take off when the beach season finally commences.
We’ve been working away and drinking insane amounts of fresh ginger and lemon tea. There is nothing like a ginger kick (rum is good too, but not conducive to getting any work done 😉 ) when you’re feeling cold. This new found love of mighty ginger has inspired me to make a pot of Asian-style, ginger-packed broth for dinner. An aromatic broth with oodles of noodles, plenty of char-grilled seasonal vegetables and some tofu is pretty much what the doctor has ordered at this time of the year when the weather is still a bit on the temperamental side. One minute you may find yourself leaving your house in flip-flops cos ‘Yay, spring is here!’ and the next experience a serious bout of teeth chattering because you are way under dressed (this is by no means based on personal experience 🙂 ). At times like this your immune system will surely be grateful for any help it can get! This is why I have created this delicious vegan ramen.
cooked noodles (GF if needed), 80 g per person (I used buckwheat soba) ½ head of broccoli, divided into larger florets 1 sweet potato, peeled and sliced into ½ cm / 1/8 in slices a few mushrooms (I used small chestnuts), sliced thickly 200 g firm or extra firm tofu (optional), pressed* 2 tbsp cornflour / cornstarch (optional) oil (I used peanut, for frying) sesame oil about 3 tbsp soy sauce or tamari (if GF), more taste 2 tbsp red miso paste (choose gluten-free miso for GF version) 1 tbsp rice vinegar 1 tbsp mirin (sweet Japanese wine) or 1 tsp of maple syrup ½ raw garlic clove, finely grated a few extra slices of fresh ginger 2 spring onions, sliced sesame seeds, to garnish chilli oil or sauce (like Sriracha), to taste
