Meg Goes Nom Nom

Last week I tried this recipe for Easy Miso-Chicken Ramen from Eating Well and enjoyed it, and wanted to share.

Sometimes when I cook, I prep some or all of the ingredients as I go, and other times I prepare everything in advance. This is a recipe for which I definitely recommend preparing your mise en place in advance. If you do, it will make the cooking process much smoother, more fun, and prevent overcooking any of these fast-cook ingredients.

With my prepped ingredients ready to go, I added one tablespoon of nutty and fragrant toasted sesame oil to my heated Dutch oven. To this, I added the white parts of sliced scallions, minced garlic, and grated ginger root. My kitchen smelled a-may-zing.

Next up, I added white miso and soy sauce. The white miso is the substance on the left (below) that looks like peanut butter.

Tip from Eating Well:

“In this warming ramen-noodle bowl, miso—a fermented soybean paste—adds a deep, rich umami flavor. Look for mild-flavored white (sweet) miso, made with soy and rice, near tofu at well-stocked supermarkets. It will keep in the refrigerator for at least a year.” –source

I easily found miso at my local Whole Foods, and though it was a tad pricy, the package has lasted quite a while, and has been used in many recipes.

The final four ingredients added to the pot are [raw] diced, boneless skinless chicken thighs (unpictured – I spared you the raw chicken pictures!) chopped baby bok choy, chopped shiitake mushrooms, and Chinese noodles. I found these dried curly noodles in the international aisle at my grocery store.

This dish cooks up quite quickly!

I do recommend a drizzle of Sriracha.

Perfect for a brisk winter evening.

These ramen noodles are undoubtedly a big step up from the kind I used to prepare using my dorm microwave after a night out with the girls! Less bright yellow salty seasoning packets, more greens and goodness.

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Easy Miso-Chicken Ramen

Recipe from Eating Well

From EatingWell:  November/December 2013

Makes: 4 servings, about 2 cups each

INGREDIENTS

• 2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil, divided
• 1 bunch scallions, sliced, white and green parts separated
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon finely grated fresh ginger
• 4 cups water
• 3 tablespoons white miso (see Tip)
• 1 1/2 tablespoons reduced-sodium soy sauce
• 1 1/4 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs, trimmed, cut into bite-size pieces
• 8 cups chopped bok choy
• 4 ounces dried Chinese noodles, broken in half
• 4 ounces shiitake mushrooms, stemmed and sliced (2 cups sliced)

PREPARATION

1. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large saucepan or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add scallion whites, garlic and ginger and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add water, miso, soy sauce and the remaining 1 tablespoon oil; bring to a boil. Stir in chicken, bok choy, noodles and mushrooms. Cover and return to a boil. Uncover, reduce heat to medium and cook, stirring, until the chicken is cooked through and the vegetables are tender, 3 to 5 minutes. Serve sprinkled with the scallion greens.

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My Rating: 7.5/10