Main dish

Itsu Ramen Broth recipe

Name: Itsu Ramen Broth
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 40 min
Yield: 2
Ingredients: 2 tbsp vegetable oil (divided); 2 tbsp cornflour (divided); black pepper; 250g firm tofu (I use Tofoo or Dragonfly smoked); 2 tsp sesame tare (optional); 150g wok-ready noodles (I use Amoy medium); 500ml itsu ramen brilliant broth; 250g pak choi; 4 leaves of gem lettuce (or 2 iceberg leaves, optional); handful of button mushrooms, halved; 2 eggs; 1 tsp soy sauce (any kind, I use dark); 1 tsp sesame seeds (optional); drizzle of chilli oil (optional); 15ml soy sauce; 10g sugar (I use less, around 5g); 5g chilli oil; 25g tahini; ¼ tsp garlic, grated (optional); ¼ tsp fresh ginger, grated (optional)

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Itsu's brilliant broth for two is a great base for all kinds of ramen dishes and works really well with wok ready noodles.

Prep15m
Cook25m
Total40m

japanese noodles tofu vegan-adaptable vegetarian

Itsu ramen broth with tofu, pak choi, mushrooms and an egg

Update

I've included ingredients for a simple, optional tare. One teaspoon is added per ramen bowl to provide depth and oomph. The tare keeps in the fridge for a few months as long as the fresh ingredients (grated garlic and ginger) are separated. I hardly ever add them but I've listed them for completeness.

A quick search through my online grocery receipts tells me that we’ve consumed 19 packs of Itsu’s ramen broth. It comes in classic vegan or chicken and both are great.

I divide wok ready noodles into bowls, heat the broth, add some vegetables then pour everything over the noodles. The noodles are already cooked so there’s no need to boil them; the heat from the broth is enough to warm them through. Top with tofu, eggs, sesame seeds or whatever you fancy.

I’m not a ramen connoisseur but I absolutely love this dish and the combinations are endless. Whatever you top it with, a boiled egg is a must and this is coming from someone who has only just come around to egg white*.

★ ★ ★

* If, like me, you don’t love the taste of egg white, coating it in soy sauce really helps.

Notes

I know 150g of cooked noodles seems like a small amount but it’s enough for us and we’re fairly greedy.

I've listed the lettuce as optional but it's highly recommended. I learned from my mum a long time ago that lettuce tastes amazing in noodle soups.

You could pan fry your tofu but I prefer to roast it. This way I don’t have to look after it while I prep the other ingredients.

The Bone Daddies cookbook has a great boiled egg tip: crack the shell of a cooked egg and work a teaspoon underneath the membrane (the bowl of the spoon should hug the curve of the egg). The shell should come off easily.

Recipe credit

I learned to make tare from a fun ramen class I took at Waitrose Cookery School.

Recipe

Itsu Ramen Broth

Prep15m
Cook25m
Total40m

Serves: 2

Ingredients

Tofu

2 tbsp vegetable oil (divided)
2 tbsp cornflour (divided)
black pepper
250g firm tofu (I use Tofoo or Dragonfly smoked)

Ramen

2 tsp sesame tare (optional)
150g wok-ready noodles (I use Amoy medium)
500ml itsu ramen brilliant broth
250g pak choi
4 leaves of gem lettuce (or 2 iceberg leaves, optional)
handful of button mushrooms, halved

Toppings

2 eggs
1 tsp soy sauce (any kind, I use dark)
1 tsp sesame seeds (optional)
drizzle of chilli oil (optional)

Sesame tare (optional)

15ml soy sauce
10g sugar (I use less, around 5g)
5g chilli oil
25g tahini
¼ tsp garlic, grated (optional)
¼ tsp fresh ginger, grated (optional)

Method

Tofu: Preheat your oven to 200°C (180°C fan). Line a roasting tray with greaseproof paper and drizzle over 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil.
Slice 250g of firm tofu into 3mm pieces and place onto the oiled baking tray. Drizzle 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil over the tofu then sieve 1 tablespoon of cornflour over the tofu, coating it lightly. Add some black pepper. Flip the tofu slices and sieve 1 tablespoon of cornflour over the uncoated side then finish with more black pepper. Roast in the oven for 20-25 minutes until the tofu turns golden and crispy.
Toppings: Boil 2 eggs for 6-8 minutes (6 minutes for a runnier yolk). Submerge in cold water then peel off the shells (see the notes for a tip on peeling eggs). Put the eggs into a small bowl then add 1 teaspoon of soy sauce and move the eggs around to coat them. Set to one side.
Ramen: If using, divide 2 teaspoons of sesame tare (see recipe below) between two deep bowls.
Divide 150g of wok ready noodles between the bowls.
Pour 500ml of Itsu ramen broth into a medium saucepan and place over a low heat.
Slice 250g of pak choi, 4 leaves of gem lettuce (optional) and a handful of halved button mushrooms. Separate the white and green parts of the pak choi.
Once the broth just starts to bubble, add the mushrooms and the white part of the pak choi. After 2 minutes add the remaining greens and lettuce. Aim to cook the vegetables for another 1-2 minutes - any more and they'll overcook. Once the broth starts to gently boil and the greens have wilted, turn off the heat and divide the broth and vegetables between the two bowls.
Toppings: Top the ramen with the tofu slices, eggs, 1 teaspoon of sesame seeds and a drizzle of chilli oil.

Sesame tare (optional and makes more than you need)

Add 15ml of soy sauce, 10g of sugar (can be reduced to 5g), 5g of chilli oil and 25g of tahini to a clean jar. Stir well. This the tare base, which will keep in the fridge for around 3 months.
Optional: If you want to include garlic and ginger, don't add them to the jar as they'll reduce the lifespan of the tare. Instead, add 2 teaspoons of the tare base to a small bowl and stir in ¼ teaspoon each of garlic and ginger, then divide the tare between the ramen bowls.
Alternatively, leave out the garlic and ginger and just use the 4-ingredient tare base.