Shiitake Udon Ramen: A Belly-Warming Favorite
It’s difficult to find a person who doesn’t like ramen. It’s the ultimate comfort food, combining scrumptious noodles with satisfying spices. It’s also an incredibly easy dish to adapt by adding whatever vegetables you have in the fridge.
This particular ramen dish revolves around shiitake mushrooms. Hailing from Asia, this fantastic fungus has been employed in traditional Chinese medicine for hundreds of years. It has a variety of potential benefits (keep reading to discover them), but above all, it tastes fantastic.
WayofLeaf’s shiitake udon ramen is a fantastic way to utilize shiitake mushrooms in a way that you’ll want to eat over and over again.
What You’ll Need
- 1 tbsp sesame oil
- 4 scallions
- 12 oz fresh shiitake mushrooms
- 8 cups vegetable broth
- 3 tbsp miso paste
- Small piece ginger
- 6 oz udon noodles
- 7oz frozen peas
- 4 eggs
- 2 red chilies
Step-by-Step Shiitake Udon Ramen
Heat the sesame oil in a large pot over medium heat. Thinly slice the scallions, separating the white and green parts. Slice the shiitake.
Add the white scallion parts and the shiitake to the pot and fry, stirring often, for about 4 minutes.
Stir in the broth, miso paste, and grate in the ginger, then simmer for about 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, bring a pot of water to the boil and carefully lower in the eggs. Cook for 7 minutes, then plunge into a bowl of ice water. Carefully peel off the shells, then halve the eggs. You should have soft-boiled eggs with a gummy yolk.
When the broth has simmered, add the noodles and peas and cook for another 3 minutes until softened.
Deseed and slice the chilies. Divide the ramen between bowls, topping with the green scallions, eggs, and chili. Enjoy!
Additional Recipe Info
Shiitake mushrooms are one of the many functional mushroom species. In layman’s terms, this means they have potential health benefits that make them ideal as supplements. It’s possible to purchase shiitake in powdered form, making it easy to consume daily.
However, since shiitake is one of the few functional mushroom species that also tastes amazing, it can sometimes be better (and more fun) to devour it in ramen form. You can still reap the same benefits, including some of the following:
- AMINO ACIDS: You may be surprised to learn that shiitake mushrooms contain a similar amino acid profile to meat. This makes them a good source of plant-based protein in terms of digestion; however, the protein content of this dish is pretty low. You can add in tofu or edamame beans to boost the protein content.
- VEGAN DELIGHT: This dish is completely vegan-friendly, although you should double-check the broth you are using and any other ingredients to ensure they are certified vegan. This verification means you can serve up this healthy bowl to any of your friends, no matter their dietary preferences.
- GOOD FOR THE HEART: Shiitake mushrooms contain beta-glucans, sterols, and eritadenine. All three of these compounds could promote a healthy heart by lowering cholesterol. A 2013 study found that rats on a high-fat diet developed less fat in the artery walls when they were administered shiitake mushrooms. The rats also showed reduced cholesterol levels. Human trials are required to confirm this, but it’s an exciting finding.
- IMMUNE-BOOSTING: Researchers published a study in 2015 that found that administering two dried shiitake mushrooms per day for a month improved immune markers. This, of course, requires much more research, but it explains why so many people are currently using shiitake as a supplement.
- STRENGTHENS BONES: Mushrooms, in general, are packed with vitamin D. In fact, they are the only natural non-animal source. Notably, the amount of vitamin D in mushrooms can vary depending on how they are grown; shiitake grown under UV light will have higher vitamin D levels. Either way, shiitake contains vitamin D2, which can be beneficial for the bones.
![Cannabis Peanut Butter Bites [Learn How They’re Made!]](https://wayofleaf.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/mj_cannabis-peanut-butter-bites_1920-640x225.jpg)
