Korean Noodle Broth

Serves

Scaled from the card's 4-serving amounts and rounded to measurable quantities.

Ingredients

The figure beside each ingredient is its energy for the amount shown, and the bar is its share of the dish — so it is easy to see which one or two are actually carrying the calories if you fancy a substitution.

Raw ingredient energy · 8 servings

Raw weights on purpose: cooking changes what a dish weighs — rice absorbs water, meat renders fat — which moves energy per 100g without changing what you ate. Costing the ingredients you were given is the stable number, and it scales with the serving size above.

Method

1. Boil your kettle. To a bowl or shallow dish, add the rice noodles and submerge with boiled water and a pinch of salt. Leave to soak for 8-10 minutes. Drain on completion, and set aside 500ml of the liquid from the noodles.

2. In another bowl, add the dried mushrooms and 1000ml of boiled water, leave to soak for at least 10 minutes. This forms the stock for the broth.

3. Cut the nori sheets into 3cm thick strips. Rinse and slice the spinach. Rinse and chop the coriander. Peel and roughly chop your garlic. Chunkily chop the fresh brown mushrooms.

4. (OPTIONAL): In a small pot place 4 eggs and submerge with water (not boiled) and bring to the boil, stir around the pot gently as the water heats up to centre the yolk. Once boiling, cook for about 6-8 minutes, for a medium egg. Remove from the pot and run under some cold water until cool enough to peel. Slice in half once cool.

5. When your mushrooms have soaked for 10 minutes, remove them from the broth base (keep the broth) and roughly chop them.

6. Place a pan over a medium-high heat with a drizzle of cooking oil. When hot, add the chopped brown mushrooms, season with salt and pan-fry until golden, about 5-7 minutes. You might have to do this step in batches. Remove from the pan and set aside.

7. Place a pot (with a lid) over a medium heat with a drizzle of cooking oil. When hot, add the black bean chilli sauce, and garlic and fry for 1-2 minutes until fragrant. Add and the chopped rehydrated mushrooms, fry for a further 2-4 minutes. Add all the Sweet Soy, mushroom liquid and remaining noodle water. Bring to a simmer and let it cook for 12-15 minutes. Once the broth is just about ready for serving, add the spinach and pop on the lid. Let it wilt for about 3-4 minutes. Taste to test the broth and season with salt and pepper and half the coriander.

8. To some bowls add some rice noodles, pan fried mushrooms, nori strips and the optional halved egg. Pour over the hot broth and make sure to get some dried mushrooms and spinach in each bowl! Sprinkle with remaining coriander. Tuck in!

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