This lovely beef Ramen dish reminded me of two things. Firstly, there are still amazing recipes to try that will shoot straight into your top 20 and secondly, always buy the best you can afford. In this case I bought fillet steak and the end result was melt in your mouth beef accompanied by soft noodles in an incredibly beautiful spice infused broth. Overall a sensational combinations of taste explosions in your mouth that I was still savouring for some time afterwards.
The broth is based on Miso, a traditional Japanese staple food and seasoning. There are two main types of Miso and its popularity varies dependant in where you are in Japan. The most common types are white miso traditionally consumed in the western part of Japan including Kyoto, while the eastern regions including Tokyo tend to prefer red miso. Miso is typically salty but its flavour and aroma depend on various factors such as ingredients, fermentation and the length of the ageing process. Other important variables that contribute to the flavour of a particular miso include temperature, duration of fermentation, salt content and the variety of koji. These different ingredients and variables result in miso which may be described as salty, sweet, earthy, fruity and savoury. You can find Miso soup in most large supermarkets in the UK. Miso paste is more difficult to find. For a great selection of both try the Clearspring on-line shop.
Here is the recipe, a variation of the one I found in a Tesco magazine.
Ramen beef with mushrooms Serves 4
- 3 sachets of Miso soup (I used the red version)
- 1 inch piece of root ginger, finely sliced into matchsticks
- 1 star anise
- 150g Udon noodles
- 2 fillet steaks
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 3 oz shiitake mushrooms, halved if large
- 4 oz chestnut mushrooms, sliced
- 1 x 200g pack baby leaf greens, finely shredded
- 1 red chilli, finely sliced
- 6 spring onions, finely sliced
- A few leaves of coriander for garnish
- Dissolve the Miso soup in 1 litre of freshly boiled water in a large pan. Add the ginger and star anise then leave to simmer over a low heat.
- Meanwhile cook the noodles as per packet instructions. Drain well.
- Heat a griddle pan over a high heat. Lightly oil the steaks and season well. When the pan is smoking, griddle them for 3 minutes on each side. Remove from the heat and allow to rest for 5 minutes then slice thinly.
- Add the mushrooms to the broth and continue to cook for 5 minutes.
- Heat a little oil to a clean pan and fry the chilli and spring onions until just turning brown.
- Divide the noodles between 4 bowls and ladle over the broth in equal measures. Lay the beef slices on top then scatter with the chilli and spring onions. garnish with the coriander and serve immediately.
Tasty Advice 