Ramen

Part of the joy of this Japanese noodle soup is the contrast of colours and shapes made by the combination of toppings, and finely sliced red cabbage can really cut a dash here. You can make this vegetarian by using vegetable stock instead of chicken and omitting the chicken topping.

Serves 4

300g dried ramen noodles

for the broth

700ml chicken or vegetable stock 2 garlic cloves, roughly sliced 2 tbsp soy sauce Thumb of fresh ginger, roughly chopped 1 small red chilli, halved and with seeds and pith removed 1 tsp Chinese five spice powder 2 tbsp miso paste

for the toppings

⅛ red cabbage, finely shredded 4 eggs, soft boiled (6 mins) 6 mushrooms, sliced 8 slices poached or roast chicken 1 spring onion, finely sliced A few leaves of coriander A handful beansprouts

1 Put all of the ingredients for the broth in a pan together and bring to the boil, then simmer for 15 mins, dropping the mushrooms in for the last few minutes to cook through.

2 In a separate pan, boil the noodles for a few minutes until softened.

3 Portion the broth between four bowls and share the noodles between them, then top each with shredded cabbage, half a boiled egg, some mushrooms, 2 slices of chicken, a sprinkling of spring onion, some coriander and a few beansprouts. Eat immediately.