Ramen soup recipe

An aromatic, rich umami broth packed with noodles and delicious, healthy veg.

Ramen soup is perfect bowl food. It's more like a meal than a soup: but one where everything is in a delicious miso broth. This version is suitable for both vegetarians and vegans but even avid omnivores will enjoy it. With big chunks of mushroom, aubergine and tofu, it doesn't feel like meat is missing from the dish. It only takes 20 minutes to prepare this soup from scratch, making it a great option for a speedy lunch. Alternatively, it's great for evenings when you get home wanting to eat straight away but you don't want to call for a takeaway. All that for just a shade over 200 calories.

Ingredients

• 100g aubergine, cut into chunks
• 1 tsp oil
• 100g mushrooms, sliced
• 100g marinated tofu
• 2 sachets miso soup paste
• 80g ramen noodles
• Few stalks of Tenderstem broccoli
• 100g soya beans
• 1 tsp ginger, finely chopped (or try Very Lazy prepared ginger)
• 1 tbsp soy sauce, to taste
• 100g radishes, sliced
• Handful fresh watercress or micro herbs, or salad leaves

Method

1. Lightly fry the chunks of aubergine in the oil in a large wok. Once tender, move them to one side of the pan, then add the mushrooms and fry until golden. Move them to the side too, then add the tofu to heat through.
2. Meanwhile, put the miso soup paste into a pan with 600ml boiling water. Add the noodles and broccoli, and cook until tender.
3. Add the aubergine and tofu mixture, soya beans and the lazy ginger, then stir through the soy sauce, to taste. Heat through, then serve in bowls topped with slices of radish and watercress, herbs or salad leaves.

Top tips for making ramen soup

You can keep all the toppings for this soup separate and serve them up like spokes of a wheel as in this picture, or you can stir all of them together and serve it as a mixed soup. Both ways taste lovely, but the former looks a little fancier.

If you're looking for a good side dish to serve with the soup try gyoza - little fried parcels of pastry with seasoned meat or vegetables inside. Most supermarkets now sell frozen, ready-made gyoza which you can cook easily in the oven.

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