This super-oishii (“delicious”) spicy ramen bowl is made with basic pantry staples, such as miso paste and tahini, plus Sriracha for spice! I love adding a bit more Sriracha for heat, and topping it all off with a slightly runny soft-boiled egg.

　　

Ingredients

4 servings

　　

Soup:

2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil

　　2 tablespoons mirin

　　1 yellow onion, thinly sliced

　　8 cups purified water

　　2 cups thinly sliced shiitake mushrooms

　　2 tablespoons Japanese chili paste or Sriracha sauce

　　1/2 cup organic red miso paste

　　2 (10-ounce) packages fresh ramen noodles (look for Sun Noodle brand)

　　1/4 cup tahini paste or neri goma

　　

Fresh toppings:

2 cups baby spinach

　　Chili oil, for drizzling (optional)

　　2 green onions, thinly sliced on the bias

　　Togarashi, for sprinkling (optional)

　　2 soft-boiled eggs, sliced in half (optional)

　　Nori, cut into small rectangular pieces, for dipping (optional)

　　1 avocado, pitted, peeled, and thinly sliced

　　

Step 1

In a large saucepan or stockpot, warm the toasted sesame oil over medium heat. Add the onion and sauté for 8 to 10 minutes, or until fragrant and translucent. Add 1 cup of the mushrooms and sauté for 2 to 3 minutes more.

　　

Step 2

Add the miso paste and tahini and stir to coat the onion and mush­rooms. Cook for another 2 to 3 minutes. Watch your heat carefully and reduce to medium-low, if needed, or the soup can “break” or separate. Pour in the mirin and deglaze the pan. Pour in the water and stir well to dissolve all the miso paste.

　　

Step 3

Bring the soup up to a light simmer over high heat and whisk in the chili paste or Sriracha sauce; start with 2 tablespoons to be safe, then add more as desired, and mix well to dissolve. Reduce the heat to medium-high.

　　

Step 4

In a separate medium saucepan, bring some water to a boil. Add the ra­men noodles, and cook for 3 to 4 minutes. Using tongs, remove the noodles from the boiling water or drain the noodles in a colander.

　　

Step 5

Divide the noodles among four bowls. Add the spinach and green onions to each bowl. Top each bowl equally with the reserved 1 cup mushrooms, the egg, avocado, chili oil, togarashi, and nori as desired, ladle broth over, and serve.

　　Tahini and Neri Goma

　　Tahini is a lightly roasted sesame seed paste, and is one of my favorite ingredients to cook with. Neri goma is Japanese roasted sesame seed paste, made with black and/or white unhulled or hulled sesame seeds. In Japan, it’s standard to use neri goma. In the U.S., tahini is much more popular. And while the flavors can slightly vary (due to the degree of roasting, hulled or unhulled processing), I love cooking with both versions.

　　From Kintsugi Wellness: The Japanese Art of Nourishing Mind, Body, and Spirit © 2018 by Candice Kumai. Published by Harper Wave, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers.Buy the full book from HarperCollins or from Amazon.