Half-assed CSA Recipe: Vegetarian Ramen (or Udon) Inspired Soup

It’s back! My approximate (no chef training) half-assed recipes are back with a vengeance! I’ve been cooking up a storm with my CSA shares and had a little Asian inspiration last week when I started feeling under the weather. This week’s recipe brings you back in time but in a much improved fashion: Ramen Soup.

Forget those .49 cent box wonders we relied on for nutritional value in College. After trying authentic Ramen in Fukuoka, Japan, I could never go back to the instant water variety. And for years, I couldn’t find a satisfaction in the city of brotherly love. Yet always being a trend-setter,  Ramen is infiltrating Philly in a  huge way. But what if you want to try Ramen from your own kitchen? This recipe uses some of your finest (fall) CSA veggies for a hearty (and filling!) soup. Plus, I’m 5% Asian (accurate by blood test!) so it’s at least 5% authentic.

Julie’s Half-Assed Ramen (or Udon) Japanese Soup:

Ingredients:

• 1 package – rice noodles*
• Tofu
• 6-8 CSA carrots (pending size)
• 1 pint – green snap beans
• 1 bunch – baby pac choi (Fuyo Shumi)
• 1/2 cup – green onions, chopped
• 1 package (apprx 32 – 50 fl oz) vegetable broth
• 1 cup – mung bean sprouts
• 2-3 hard (or soft) boiled egg
• 3 TB – soy sauce
• 1 tsp – rice vinegar
• 2 tsp – Japanese sesame oil
• oregano (1 TB – to taste)
• parsley (1 TB – to taste)
• 1 teaspoon red pepper (flakes)

*Rice noodles are sold in a variety of thickness and sorts. I actually went with Ho Fan (Vermicelli) noodles, but you can go with typical “Ramen”, Udon, or many other. Go to to the Asian section of your Whole Foods or market and pick one you fancy.

Method:

1. Peel the carrots and cut into small (bite sized) pieces. Rinse the snap peas and ‘snap’ in half. Chop the baby pac choi. Rinse the bean sprouts and green onions, set aside.
2. Cook the rice noodles according to package. My Ho Fan (Vermicelli) had to be boiled for 5 minutes. Rinse off with water, set aside.
3. Put the Veggie broth in a large pot (probably the one you cooked the Rice Noodles with.) Set heat to medium to get broth hot.
4. Throw in the carrots, snap peas & green onions to broth so they can start to get a little softer.

5.   Add the soy sauce, rice vinegar, sesame oil, oregano, parsley & red pepper to broth. You’ll want to taste test the broth to make sure the flavoring is balanced. For example, I eyeballed the majority of these ingredients (and probably ended up with 5 TB of soy sauce.)
6.  Cook carrots & snap peas for 10-15 minutes. You want them to start to soften, but (never get mushy.)  Add bean sprouts, noodles and baby pac choi to the broth.
7.  Cook for appx. 5 more minutes until Soup is ready.
8.  Serve immediately with hard-boiled egg in soup. Enjoy!