CHILLI CHICKEN RAMEN

Who doesn't like a nice bowl of chicken soup and noodles. This recipe to make ramen is just so easy you can make it any time you're in a hurry or when you don't really feel like spending too much time in the kitchen. It's just delicious. I changed the egg noodles for the brown rice vermicelli to make it a bit more wholesome. It was the perfect meal for last night's dinner. It was a very cold night!!

INGREDIENTS

2 free-range eggs
150ml light soy sauce
50ml mirin
Chicken
2 small chicken breasts
1/2 tsp chilli flakes
1/2 tsp ground ginger
Salt and pepper
1 Tbsp oil (vegetable or sesame)
Broth
1 small red chilli
1 Tbsp olive oil
3 cloves garlic, crushed
1 tsp grated fresh ginger
1l chicken stock
2 Tbsp light soy sauce
1 Tbsp fish sauce
2 Tbsp mirin
To serve
200g brown rice vermicelli or dry egg noodles
1 bunch broccolini or 2 baby bok choy, trimmed and halved
2 Tbsp sesame seeds
2 spring onions, trimmed and sliced
sesame oil, to drizzle (optional)

METHOD
Boil the eggs for 7 minutes. 

Meanwhile, put the soy sauce and mirin in a small bowl and whisk. When the eggs are done, pop them into a bowl of cold water, and when cool, peel and add to the soy sauce and mirin. Let them steep for at least 20 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 180° C (fan). 
Place the chicken breasts on a lightly oiled baking tray. Sprinkle with chilli flakes and ground ginger; season with salt and pepper. Drizzle with oil. 

Bake for about 20 minutes or until the chicken is cooked and tender.

Meanwhile, make the broth. Slice the chilli, deseeded, and finely chop. Drizzle oil in a large saucepan and place over a medium heat. Add the chilli, garlic and grated ginger and cook, stirring frequently until fragrant, about 1-2 minutes.

Pour in the chicken stock, light soy sauce, fish sauce and mirin.
Stir and bring to the boil; reduce heat and simmer, covered, for 20 minutes.

To serve, place the noodles into the broth and cook for 5 minutes or until al dente. Remove from the broth and divide them into two serving bowls. Remove the eggs from the marinade, slice them in half, and place to the side of the bowls.

Add the broccolini or bok choy and cook until tender, but still a bit crunchy. Remove from broth and add to the soup bowls.

Slice the chicken diagonally, and place next to the egg.  Pour the broth into the bowls over the noodles and garnish with sesame seeds and spring onion. Drizzle with sesame oil if using.

Serves 2.