For many years I’d only heard of Ramen in the 10/$10, college staple meal kind of stereotype. It wasn’t until recently that I was introduced to the beautiful world of authentic ramen.
First of all, these dishes are beautiful. We eat with our eyes first, so I try my best to plate our food nicely. Second of all, it’s a great way to cram in veggies, protein and good fats in a family- friendly meal.
We took our ramen in a Keto direction, swapping traditional udon noodles for zucchini noodles. The starches weren’t missed. This ended up being a major hit in our family, and Jacen asked to add soft-boiled eggs to our “common use” menu!
Typically traditional Ramen starts with making a fatty soup base by boiling a whole chicken (usually about a 3lb bird.) Personally, I hate tediously fishing bones and cartilage out. I chose to use 1 package of skinless, boneless chicken thighs and they worked perfectly!
Ingredients:
Dark meat chicken, thighs preferred
Oil- grapeseed, avocado, olive oil, or coconut oil. (optional, recommended for keto followers)
Green onion
Canned baby corn cobs
Frozen asian stir fry veggies
Eggs
Rice vinegar
Chicken bouillon
Pepper
Seasonings to taste
12 cups water
Zucchini noodles/ udon noodle/ shirataki noodles/ pasta.
Directions:
In a pot, slow boil 12 oz of water, dark meat chicken and a cube of bouillon.
(we chose to boil on the lowest heat setting for about 3 hours to extract the most fat from the chicken.)
When broth is oily, remove the cooked chicken temporarily.
Increase heat to a rapid boil.
Shred cooked chicken and replace into broth.
Add green onion – we like the aesthetics of long pieces, but cut them smaller for picky eaters!
Add frozen veggies
Add baby corn cobs
Season to taste- we love Mrs. Dash’s asian blend.
Add more oil if desired (grapeseed, avocado, coconut or olive) this is especially important to Keto followers!
Continue boiling until veggies are soft.
In a separate pot, soft boil eggs.
( I didn’t know how to do this before today, so I figured it wouldn’t hurt to share the directions. )
Bring water to a boil.
Add a splash of rice vinegar.
Carefully add 6 cold eggs to the boiling water using a slotted spoon or wire basket.
Boil for exactly 6 minutes.
Immediately move to ice bath, let sit for about 6 more minutes.
Peel when cool.
Finally, cook your noodles. I prefer to remove my eggs from the boiling water with a wire spoon, then use the same boiling water to cook my noodles. (I hate washing dishes.) Zoodles and udon noodles only need to boil for about 3 minutes. If you’re using any other noodles, follow directions on the package.
Last, go on and plate!
I like to put our noodles first, then our veggie and chicken mix. Flood the bottom of the bowl with broth, add a halved soft boiled egg on the side.
Enjoy- it’s amazing.
With healthy hearts ( and full tummies!)
Kate and the Kids.
Kate and the Kids 