On the comfort of ramen. Kaya McLeod's guest blog

Kaya McLeod is Deputy Manager at 'Poldark' a three bedroom bungalow near Redruth; home to a young man with autism. 

Kaya's al fresco ramen - a Japanese noodle dish - at Poldark

Food. The world’s best comforter. It can elevate our mood, generate excitement. It is something to celebrate, something to cherish, something worth sharing. Food is community, it is culture, it is language. It can be the key to unlocking memories; transporting us to other times, other places. An escape, perhaps, from a present less pleasant. 

Poldark near Redruth

Food has the ability to make everything okay. Even if just for a short while. A happy tummy is a happy mind!

And we have a lot of happy tummies here at Poldark! We love being able to bring the flavours from far corners of the world, into the home of the person we support. We encourage each other through new experiences - trying something obscure and unusual, or perhaps by trying something we thought we didn’t like before. Individually, we bring what we can to a collective table (so to speak). A plate licked clean is a job well done, and I’d be lying if I said that wasn’t a common occurrence!

And it’s not just here, but across all of our beloved Green Light homes.  People are using their skills in the kitchen to bring about joy, and help retain a sense of normality - from the shining star bakers, with their beautifully decorated cakey-creations, to all of the competitors that have participated in The Great Yorkshire Pudding Championship (still ongoing I believe!).

Eager to share some food loving, I have written up my ramen recipe (as requested), albeit in a rather vague manner (I’m not so good with specific measurements). But that’s where the fun comes in! Experiment.. Learn.. Adapt.. Perfect!

The wonderful thing about ramen is that you can totally personalise it to suit your tastes/dietary requirements. When making the broth - go all out, make a huge one! Freeze the remainder, and hey presto - quick and easy ramen in the future. 

How to make a ramen

1. 

   Created by Kaya

   Prepare your stock of choice in a saucepan, bung in a load of dried shiitake mushrooms, bring to the boil, turn off and let steep.
   
   My favourite stock to use is Marigold’s swiss vegetable Bouillon powder (vegetarian/vegan/gluten free options available), and the mushroom Kallo cubes. When steeping - the longer the better - over night is great if you’re super organised! If you want a fast fix, don’t turn it off but let simmer on a low heat, for at least 30 minutes. 

2. Fry up some onion until soft, then add garlic & ginger and cook for a further minute.
   
   Use butter, oil, whatever you want! I use toasted sesame oil for this step.

3. Add your now re-hydrated mushrooms from your pan to a blender/food processor, along with roughly a cup of the liquid stock, and the onion/garlic/ginger mix. Blend until you have a smooth consistency. Add more stock if needed.
   
   Ensure your blender of choice has an air hole if you are working with hot stock.. No ramen related injuries please!
   
4. Slop this blended mix back into your saucepan with the remaining stock. Mix until combined.
   
   Don’t worry about the thickness just yet. Also, it’s not going to look the most appetising right now, but bear with me! 

5. Cook your favourite noodles according to package instructions, drain, and rinse fully with cold water.
   
   Crucial in preventing your oodles of noodles sticking together. These will be warmed up later in the bowl by the broth.
   
6. Now, prepare your toppings! Here is where you can add meat if you like, whatever veg you’re loving at the moment, anything you fancy! My personal favourites are:
   
   - Mange tout, flash fried off in that sesame oiled pan used previously
   - King oyster mushrooms, halved, fried for a few minutes each side with some vegan butter
   - Tofu, dusted in a cornflour/salt/pepper mix and left to sit for at least a few minutes, fried on a high heat in coconut oil, for the crispiest crispy tofu
   - Soft boiled egg (a hard one to get perfect but 5.5-6 minutes & then plunged into an ice bath seems to do the job) 

- Roasted cauliflower/broccoli, with paprika, cayenne pepper/chilli powder, salt, pepper

- Roasted/fried aubergine
- Charred sweet corn/baby corn 

7. Ensure your broth is hot, then add soy sauce and miso paste to taste. A knob of butter is great too, for added richness & velvety texture. Here is where you want to add more water to adjust the consistency if needed.
   
   I use both brown rice miso, as well as white miso paste. As with soy sauce, a little goes a long way, but also, don’t be shy! Add small amounts at a time until the taste is perfect for you. Butter can of course be substituted for vegan butter also.

8. Place your noodles in a big bowl, ladle in your delicious broth, decorate with your chosen toppings, and finally of course, the essential topping toppers!
   
   - Toasted sesame oil 

- Sesame seeds
- Finely sliced spring onions
- Finely sliced chillies
- Hot chilli sauce/oil 

Enjoy!

Kaya McLeod

Deputy Manager, Poldark