Easy Ramen with Soft Boiled Eggs, Garlic and Ginger

The basis of a good ramen is the stock. The better quality you can buy (or make in my case), the better the end result will be. However, by infusing the stock with extra flavourings like garlic, ginger and chilli, you can make something totally delicious every time.

I used chicken here as I had made a chicken stock and had the meat leftover, however, you could swap it out for tofu to make this veggie or some cooked pork belly for true indulgence. The not-so-secret ingredient is a little bit of Marmite for a real umami boost but you can leave this out if you don't have any in the house.

Garlic and Ginger Ramen with Soft Boiled Eggs

Serves 6

2 litres good quality chicken stock

15g fresh ginger, finely chopped (no need to peel)

6 garlic cloves, finely chopped

2 red chillies, finely chopped

200g mushrooms, thickly sliced

400g cooked chicken, shredded

4 x packs of ready cooked noodles ('straight to wok')

6 spring onions, cut into 2cm pieces

2 tbsp light soy sauce

1 tbsp mirin (or red wine vinegar)

1 tsp Marmite

6 eggs

freshly ground black pepper

togarashi seasoning, to serve

Put the stock in a large pan over a medium heat and bring up to the boil. Add the ginger, garlic and chilli then reduce to a simmer and cook, covered with a lid, for 20 minutes to infuse. At this stage, you can strain out the garlic, ginger and chilli for a refined stock but you can skip this step if you like.

Next, add the mushrooms and cooked chicken to the pot and continue to cook for a further 15 minutes. Meanwhile, bring a pan of water to the boil for the eggs. Lower the eggs gently into the water, reduce the heat so it is just bubbling and cook for 7 minutes.

Add the spring onions, noodles, soy sauce, mirin and Marmite to the stock pot and season with black pepper. Once the noodles have heated through, you're ready to serve. Ladle into bowls, top with the soft-boiled eggs sliced in half and sprinkle over the togarashi seasoning, if you like.