Haikugirl's Japan

It’s getting colder now, so this month I decided to make a healthy, warming dish – Prawn Ramen (or エビラーメン / ebi ramen in Japanese).

Ramen is originally a Chinese dish, but has been popular in Japan for so long now that it’s practically Japanese. When I was in Japan I often found myself frustrated because, as a pescetarian or vegetarian I couldn’t eat in ramen restaurants. You see, even if you order seafood ramen, there will almost always be pork in the broth (although staff in the restaurant may not think to mention this if you ask if there is any meat in the dish). I’ve made my own ramen dishes a few times before, but this recipe is by far my favourite. It’s adapted from a recipe in the October edition of Slimming World magazine, so it should be quite healthy. If you’re familiar with the Slimming World diet, you might like to know that this recipe has less than two Syns per serving (on Extra Easy).

Prawn Ramen

Ingredients (serves 2)

• 100g dried ramen noodles (available from most Asian food stores)
• Fry Light (low calorie cooking spray)
• 1/2 level tbsp sesame seeds
• 1 tbsp soy sauce (any kind is ok, but I like Kikkoman’s ‘less salt’ version)
• 340g pack of oriental stir-fry mix with edamame and peppers (most supermarkets have some kind of oriental stir-fry pack – I used the Sainsbury’s one)
• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 3cm piece fresh root ginger, peeled and finely chopped
• 1tsp dried crushed chillies
• 1 pak choi, sliced
• 200g frozen king prawns, defrosted
• 1/2 litre vegetable stock
• 1/2 tbps brown miso paste (available from most Asian food stores and some supermarkets, including Sainsbury’s) 

Method

Cook the noodles according to the packet instructions.

Drain and keep warm.

Spray a wok with Fry Light and place over a high heat. When hot, add the stir-fry vegetables, garlic, ginger and chillies, and stir-fry for 2 minutes.

Add the pak choi and prawns. Stir-fry for a further 2 minutes.

Add the stock, miso and soy sauce, and cook for 3-4 minutes.

Divide the noodles between two bowls, then ladle over the prawns, veg and hot broth. Scatter over the sesame seeds and serve.

Suggested side dishes: edamame and beer!

And there you have it – a very quick, easy to make, delicious winter warmer. I had one portion for dinner and kept the other portion in the fridge for a couple of days to have later. It tasted fine after reheating in the microwave, although the prawns became a little rubbery.

As always, I’ll be back sometime next month with another recipe. If you have any suggestions, or perhaps you would like me to try one of your recipes from a book or website, please leave a comment below or get in touch!