simple veggie ramen

This is Leo's brother, Billy's, favourite dish. The first time I made it the boys ate 2 portions each and wanted the recipe to share with friends. It may sound super simple but it's packed full of flavour and warms you through to the core. We add soft roasted sweet potatoes and large pan-fried portobello mushrooms, but you can add any roasted vegetables you like: aubergines, butternut squash and broccoli would all work well.

Serves 2 & takes 35 minutes to cook

Ingredients

• 2 sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into bite-sized chunks

• 250g udon noodles (we use fresh but you can also use dry noodles)

• 2 large portobello mushrooms, cut into thick slices

• 2 vegetable stock cubes, mixed with 700ml boiling water

• 2 tablespoons of tamari

• 1 tablespoon of brown rice miso paste

• 1 tablespoon of mirin

• 4 spring onions, finely sliced

• Sesame oil

• Olive oil

• Pinch of salt

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180C, fan setting.

2. Place the sweet potato chunks onto a baking tray and drizzle with olive oil and a good pinch of salt. Once all of the sweet potatoes are coated in the oil, cook for 30 minutes or until the sweet potato feels soft.

3. While the sweet potatoes are roasting, cook the noodles according to the instructions on the pack. Sometimes you can cook these in the hot broth, but it’s best to check on the pack of the noodles you are using to ensure you are cooking them through.

4. Place a large pan over a medium heat and add a drizzle of olive oil. Add the sliced mushrooms and a pinch of salt. Mix well and cook for 5-10 minutes until they become soft.

5. Stir the vegetable stock together with the boiling water and mix well until it all dissolves. Pour into the pan and add the tamari, brown rice miso paste, mirin and half of the sliced spring onions. Reduce the heat to low and leave to simmer for 5-10, or until the sweet potatoes finish cooking.

6. Once the sweet potatoes have finished cooking, spoon into the pan with the broth and add the cooked noodles. Stir well until everything has mixed through, before spooning into bowls and topping with the rest of the spring onions.