Cooking with Colm O'Gorman: Creamy Chicken Ramen
Cooking With Colm
It is cold. Really cold. The kind of weather that makes it just that little bit harder to crawl out from under the duvet in the morning. As I write, hail is falling outside. Jake, the younger of our two greyhounds is whining a little in the kitchen, complaining that he has not yet been taken for a run on the beach. Oscar, our other gorgeous boy, is very sensibly snuggled up beneath a throw on the couch.
As soon as the hail stops though, he will join with Jake and give me plaintive looks until I give in, put on my running gear and head out with them. Sure look, at least they will keep me fit, and the cold will make sure I run hard to start warm.
When I get back, I will have a big steaming bowl of my Chicken Ramen. It is perfect for this time of year. Delicious, nutritious, and warming, it is the kind of food that feeds your soul. A big comforting hug in a bowl. Use good ramen noodles, as they are wonderfully soft and creamy. Soba noodles will also work. This dish is quick to make, even more so if you prepare the broth in advance. If you do that, you can keep it in the fridge for a few days and then just rustle up a big bowl of comfort in about twenty minutes.
I use chicken in this recipe, but you could swap that for another protein if you wish. Salmon is a wonderful, or if you wanted a vegetarian or vegan version, marinate some tofu in a little soy sauce and ginger before tossing it in cornflour and then frying until it is crisp and golden. Add the crisp tofu to the bowl just before you serve the ramen so that it retains its crispness. For a little more flavour you could scatter some roasted, chopped peanuts on top as well.
This recipe is enough for three of four people, perfect for a cosy Friday feast in front of the fire with a good movie.
- 1 litre chicken stock or vegetable stock for vegan version.
- 1 red pepper
- ½ medium onion
- 2 red chillies
- 3cm fresh ginger root
- 2 cobs of corn
- 12 asparagus spears or some tenderstem broccoli
- 2 heads of bok choy
- 3 cloves garlic
- 2 spring onions
- 3tbs soya sauce
- 3tbs mirin
- 3tbps miso paste
- 4 portions dried Ramen noodles
- 4 skinless chicken breasts
- 4 eggs
- A little olive oil
Wash and remove the stems and seeds from the red pepper and chillies. Peel the onion and cut it into quarters. Peel the garlic. Pop the lot in a food processor and pulse until it is all finely chopped.
Warm a little olive oil in a large saucepan over a medium heat. When the oil is hot, add the chopped vegetables from the food processor and cook them for about ten minutes, stirring occasionally. Peel and finely chop the ginger and add it to the pot. Next, add the stock, mirin and soy sauce. If you have some miso paste, add that too. It has a fabulous flavour, but if you do not have it, do not worry. You will be grand without it. Let your ramen base simmer on a low heat as you prepare the rest of the dish.
Wash the corn, bok choy and asparagus spears. You can use tenderstem broccoli instead of asparagus if you prefer, both are delicious. Cut each cob of corn into three pieces. I steam my vegetables in a bamboo steamer over a wok with just a little water boiling away in the base. If you do that, start with the corn, steaming it for about five minutes before adding the rest of the vegetables for another four to five minutes. You could also cook the vegetables in the broth, just pop on the corn ten minutes before you are ready to serve and the other vegetables five minutes later.
Heat a frying pan over a medium to high heat and add a little olive oil. Season the chicken breasts with some salt and black pepper and put them in the pan. Cook them for about five minutes on each side, until they are golden brown and cooked through. The best way to check if they are fully cooked is with a meat thermometer, an essential bit of cooking equipment in my view. If you use one, you can ensure perfectly cooked meat every time. Once the breast gets to 74°c, it is ready.
While the chicken in cooking, pop the eggs into a pan of boiling water for about four minutes. You want them soft boiled. Put the dried noodles into another pan of boiled water, take the pan off the heat and let them stand for 3 mins. Meanwhile your eggs will be cooked. Take them out of the pan and run them under a cold tap. Crack the shell a little gently, peel it, cut them in two lengthways and save for assembly. They should be soft and slightly runny.
When your chicken is cooked, take it out of the pan. By now, you should have steamed your vegetables, so you are ready to serve up. Drain the noodles and divide them between four deep bowls. Pour over a few ladles of ramen base, filling the bowls about three-quarters full. Slice the chicken breasts on the diagonal and add to the bowl. Add the corn, slice the bok choy and add that, along with the asparagus and the eggs. Top off with a little of the spring onion, very finely sliced.
