Spicy sesame, aubergine & courgette ramen

This ramen defies ramen logic by being very delicious despite also being many things that ramen is not supposed to be: fast, simple, vegan, and based on a broth that’s nothing special. This is achieved through copious amounts of fat, particularly in the oil used to cook the veg and the tahini used to enrich the broth. It’s the perfect recipe to make if you need to convince anybody that not all Japanese food, nor all vegan food, is light and healthy.

SERVES 4 PREP 15 mins COOK 30 mins MORE EFFORT V

3 courgettes

3 tbsp vinegar

1 tsp caster or granulated sugar -1 tbsp chilli lakes, plus a pinch 1 large aubergine

4 tbsp vegetable oil

4 tbsp sesame oil

1 tsp Sichuan pepper, ground 4 garlic cloves, inely chopped 1cm piece ginger, peeled and inely chopped or grated

4 tbsp soy sauce

2 tbsp mirin hot chilli sauce, to taste (optional) 1.2 litres mushroom dashi (see recipe below)

100g tahini

100g white miso

Chinese cabbage or similar, roughly chopped

400g uncooked ramen noodles 2 tbsp sesame seeds, toasted and crushed to a coarse powder 1 spring onion, inely sliced

1 Cut half of 1 courgette into thin matchsticks, or use a spiraliser to make courgetti. Toss with the vinegar, sugar, a pinch of salt and a pinch of chilli flakes and leave to pickle.

2 Meanwhile, cut the remaining courgettes and the aubergine into 1cm-thick wedges. Put the vegetable and sesame oils, Sichuan pepper, garlic, ginger and 1 tbsp chilli flakes in a pan over a medium heat. Sizzle for a few minutes, then stir in the wedges. Cover and steam-fry, stirring occasionally until the veg is soft, about 15 mins. Add the soy and mirin, then taste and add some chilli sauce if you prefer it spicier. Cook for another 5 mins, uncovered. 3 Pour the dashi into a small pan, bring to a simmer, then whisk in the tahini and miso until smooth.

4 Bring a large pan of water to the boil and cook the cabbage for 1 min. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside. Bring the water back to the boil and cook the noodles following pack instructions. Drain. 5 Divide the noodles and miso broth between four bowls and gently toss. Top with the vegetable wedges and any oil from the pan, the crushed sesame seeds, pickled courgette and sliced spring onion.

GOOD TO KNOW vegan • calcium • folate • ibre • iron • 2 of 5-a-day

PER SERVING 903 kcals • fat 45g • saturates 5g • carbs 95g • sugars 12g • ibre 8g • protein 26g • salt 5g