Curry ramen

1 HOUR 45 MINUTES | SERVES 4 | EASY |

Japanese curries usually feature udon noodles but personally I’d like to see ramen noodles used more often. I think the viscosity of a Japanese curry broth makes it a natural partner for ramen, which is usually served with meaty broths that have a lot of body from fat and collagen. Feel free to use whatever noodle you like, though – it’s not exactly a ‘traditional’ dish, so you won’t run afoul of the Japanese Culinary Authenticity Police if you make it with udon or somen instead of ramen.

dashi or seasoned vegetable stock 1.2 litres (see below)

Japanese curry roux 200g (see below) soy sauce 3-4 tbsp, to taste hot chilli sauce to taste spinach 100g

Hispi cabbage Ω, cut into 1cm strips bean sprouts 150g uncooked ramen noodles 4 portions spring onions 4, finely sliced sesame seeds a few big pinches red pickled ginger 60g, shredded chilli oil or toasted sesame oil a few spoonfuls

JAPANESE CURRY ROUX coconut oil 3 tbsp vegetable oil 3 tbsp onion 1 small, finely chopped ripe banana Ω small, diced tomato purée 1 tbsp peanut butter or similar nut butter 1 tbsp plain flour 60g curry powder 2 tbsp garam masala 2 tbsp nutritional yeast flakes 2 tbsp (optional – see cook’s notes)

DASHI kombu 25g (see cook’s notes on p21) dried shiitake mushrooms 35g

• To make the Japanese curry roux, heat the oils together in a pan over a medium heat, then fry the onion until soft and slightly brown. Add the banana and continue to cook until the banana browns and starts to break apart. Add the tomato purée, peanut butter, flour, spices and yeast flakes (if using), and cook for another 5 minutes, stirring constantly, until the spices have softened and the fat has absorbed the flour. Transfer to a food processor or use a handheld stick blender to purée the roux. (If not using straight away, you can cool, then divide into 50g portions and chill, where it will keep for about a week, or put in the freezer, where it will keep for several months.)

• For the dashi, put the kombu and dried mushrooms in a pan with 1.5 litres of cold water and put over a low heat. Slowly bring to a very low simmer – you should see a few little bubbles breaking the surface. Remove from the heat, then leave to infuse for at least 1 hour – it will take a while for the mushrooms to fully hydrate and release their flavour into the dashi. Remove the mushrooms and squeeze them out like a sponge, then pass through a sieve, catching the resulting dashi in a container. Set aside.

• Bring the dashi or broth to the boil and whisk in the curry roux, soy sauce and chilli sauce. Let the mixture boil for a few minutes until it thickens up, then reduce to a low simmer, drop in the spinach, and put a lid on the pan. Bring a large pan of water to the boil and blanch the cabbage and bean sprouts for 1-2 minutes, then remove with a slotted spoon or a sieve. Let the water come back up to the boil, then cook the ramen noodles until al dente, following pack instructions. Drain well.

• Divide the noodles between four deep bowls and ladle over the soup and spinach. Use chopsticks to gently stir the noodles through the soup, then top with the cabbage and bean sprouts, spring onions, sesame seeds, pickled ginger and chilli or sesame oil.