Japanese Ramen Noodle Soup
Originally a Chinese invention, ramen noodle soup was brought to Japan and became so popular that, by now, it is considered the part and parcel of Japanese signature. From there, ramen shops started to appear all over the world in the late 20th century. In America, ramen became popular in 1980s and soon captured the attention of foodies. The 1980s even saw the advent of Japanese "ramen tours" in which hungry American travelers go to Japan just to enjoy ramen. That kind of tour is still popular today. Though counted as fast food, ramen has avoided much of the stigma associated with hamburger, French fries and other iconic fast food icons. As ramen shop took roots, so did instant ramen noodle soup. Marketed as healthy food to busy families that have little to cook, it is seen as a great choice to accompany the quick pace of modern life. But the cooked-ramen noodle soup is of course more nutritious and delicious than mass produced products, so why not give it a try? Also, infusing ramen with some magnificent black garlic olive oil will surely improve the appeal of both.
700ml chicken stock 3 cloves of black garlic 4 tablespoons soy sauce, plus extra to season Small pieces of ginger ½ tablespoon Chinese five spice 1 tablespoon white sugar (optional) 375g ramen noodles 400g sliced cooked pork or chicken breast |
2 tablespoon Ilias and Sons Gourmet Extra Virgin Olive Oil 100g baby spinach 4 tablespoons sweetcorn 4 boiled eggs (ideally farm eggs), peeled and halved 1 sheet dried seaweed, finely shredded Sliced green spring onions Sprinkle of sesame seeds 4 Teaspoons Ilias and Sons Gourmet Extra Virgin Olive Oil infused with Black Garlic |