Shrimp and Noodle Ramen Inspired Soup
In an effort to keep things interesting during this undetermined amount of time cooking dinners at home for my family, I am venturing into different styles of cooking that I’ve surprisingly never tried making before. While preparing our menu for last week’s dinners, I decided to switch things up and include a meal that wasn’t focused on tacos or the grill. Plus, I decided it was time to include some seafood options within our rotation. My mom recently saw one of my friend’s Instagram stories of her favorite ramen NYC delivery spot that she was enjoying for dinner and proclaimed she wanted to recreate that meal. While I had never created something like this, I figured why not try to incorporate some of those flavors and ingredients (while also warning my family to have very low expectations). Honestly, I was pretty amazed by the result (as were they).
**Before I dive into this recipe, I want to also spread some light on the origins of the classic ramen dish, of which this recipe is inspired by. According to this article on First We Feast, the origin stories place the birth of Japanese ramen anywhere between the 17th and 20th centuries. More information regarding the differing theories of its origination can be found in that article, which also explains that the dish experienced its “nationalization phase” due to its association with the postwar economic boom. Ramen quickly became increasingly identified with the Japanese culture and, as an alternative to the European cuisine, developed into a national dish. For a more traditional recipe, I recommend checking out this one on Just One Cookbook.
For my dish, I grabbed these brown rice noodles and some other pantry staples: siracha, coconut aminos (given that I am intolerant to soy, but could be replaced with soy sauce), ginger powder, red pepper flakes, garlic powder, and salt and pepper. I included two vegetables I find work well with Asian flavors, bok choy and mushrooms, and chose shrimp as our protein. Then, I got cooking!
To make this dish, you first want to bring one pot of water to boil to cook the pasta in and one larger pot with the bone broth over low heat to eventually include all of the ingredients. Next, chop the vegetables and set them aside. Once the broth is hot, but not boiling, add the siracha, coconut aminos, seasonings, and chopped vegetables to the pot and cook on low heat, covered, for ~15 minutes so that it absorbs the flavors and the vegetables cook and soften. Season the shrimp with salt and pepper and add them to a hot skillet with avocado oil. I prefer to cook the shrimp 6 at a time so that they are not overcrowding one and other. Once the shrimp is seared on each side for about 4 minutes and they are beginning to form a tighter “C” shape, remove them from the heat and set aside so that they can finish cooking in the broth. Place the shrimp and strained pasta in the larger pot and cook on low heat, covered, for around 10 minutes. Serve this dish into small bowls and enjoy hot!
Shrimp Ramen Inspired Bowl
Ingredients:
- Shrimp (2 dozen) – deveined and peeled
- Bok choy (1 head)
- Mushrooms (2 cups)
- Bone broth (6 cups) – chicken or beef
- Noodles (1 package)
- Avocado oil (1 teaspoon)
- Siracha (1 tablespoon)
- Coconut aminos (1 teaspoon)
- Ginger powder (1 teaspoon)
- Garlic powder (1 teaspoon)
- Cayenne pepper (1/2 teaspoon)
- Red pepper flakes (1 teaspoon)
- Salt
- Pepper
Instructions:
How to cook Shrimp Ramen Inspired Bowl
- Chop the bok choy and mushrooms into small pieces and set aside
- In a large pot, add the bone broth and heat, covered, on low-medium heat
- Once the broth is hot, before it begins to boil, add in the chopped vegetables, 1 tablespoon of siracha, 1 teaspoon of coconut aminos (or soy sauce), 1 teaspoon of ginger powder, 1 teaspoon of garlic powder, ½ teaspoon of cayenne pepper, 1 teaspoon of red pepper flakes, and some salt and pepper
- Cover the pot and allow to cook on low-medium heat for ~15 minutes so that it absorbs the flavors and the vegetables cook to soften
- In a separate pot, bring water to a boil and add the pasta, cooking while covered, until al dente
- Season the shrimp with salt and pepper and place on a hot skillet (around 6 at a time to avoid crowding) with 1 teaspoon of avocado oil
- Sear the shrimp for ~4 minutes on each side, or until they begin to form a tighter “C” shape, and then remove from the skillet, take off the tails, and set aside
- Once the pasta is finished cooking, strain and place the noodles into the large pot of broth and vegetables
- Place the shrimp in this pot, stir to combine everything, and cook, covered on low heat, for around 10 minutes
- Remove the pot from the heat and serve in a bowl
- Dairy Free
- Gluten Free (depending on noodle used)
- Nut Free
- Soy Free
** after a lot of self-reflection and doing the work of Layla F Saad’s Me and White Supremacy (a book I highly recommend everyone reads) and Rachel Rickett’s Social Activism 101 & 102 courses, I realized the cultural appropriation that was occurring on my website when it came to recipes. I was modifying recipes deeply embedded in oppressed cultures without paying any respect to the history or original ingredients used. After realizing this, I went through and made changes to many of my recipes. This section is part of what was edited and included.