Ramen Noodle Bowls

Japanese style noodle bowls are all the rage right now in the food world.

It is the hot trend in the restaurant business as well, where a new Noodle place seems to pop up on a weekly basis all around town. But you can make delicious Ramen bowls at home too. I made these over the weekend and boy were they delicious. Everything you want from a meal, great flavor, incredible freshness from crunchy veggies and glorious color to tantalize all your senses. This is so easy to make, comes in under 30 minutes, and offers a lot of flexibility. You can fill your bowl with any vegetables you can find in your fridge. An egg on top seems to be a staple, but you can boil, fry or even poach it. You can use any broth, beef, vegetable (Vegan) or chicken, as well as any meat you prefer. I intended these to be meat free, but my kids begged me to cook up "some of that really good chicken" and who can say no to that? Everyone topped the noodles with what they like. Kids love to have that kind of control! We all slurped up our noodles and were sad when the pot was empty. A real treat that will definitely return to the dinner table soon.

Ingredients:
Broth:
1 tablespoon sesame oil
2 teaspoons fresh ginger, grated
2 cloves fresh garlic, minced
1/3 cup low-sodium soy sauce
2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
4 cups chicken or vegetable broth (one 32-ounce carton)
1 teaspoon Sriracha sauce, more or less to your taste
2 (3-ounce) packets Ramen noodles (flavor packet discarded)
Salt, to taste
Veggies:
1 cup shredded carrots (about 3 medium)
1/2 cup scallions, sliced
1 cup shredded red cabbage
1/2 cup radishes, julienned
1 egg per bowl, soft-boiled, fried or poached
Toasted sesame seeds for sprinkling
Chicken:
4 tablespoons butter
3 skinless chicken breasts
Salt and pepper


Preparation:
Prepare the veggies and set aside.

Heat sesame oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add garlic and ginger and saute until fragrant, about 30 seconds.Add the soy sauce and rice wine vinegar. Cook one minute, stirring to blend thoroughly to prevent burning. Add the broth and Sriracha sauce. Bring to a rolling boil, cover and lower to a simmer. Simmer 10-15 minutes. Approximately 3 minutes before serving time, add Ramen noodles to the broth and stir lightly to loosen. Cook 2-3 minutes, or until just tender. Do not overcook!

While the broth is simmering prepare eggs and cook the chicken: Melt butter in a large skillet. Season chicken breasts and add to butter in skillet. Fry over medium heat until nice and brown, 6-7 minutes. Turn chicken over and brown on second side, approximately 5 minutes. Check that chicken is cooked through. Remove chicken to a cutting board and let rest for 5 minutes. Slice chicken into strips.

To serve: Ladle broth/noodles into bowls and garnish with veggies and egg. Drizzle with toasted sesame seeds and serve extra Sriracha on the side for those who like more heat. Enjoy!

Serves 4

Recipe slightly adapted from Killing Thyme