if packaged ramen noodles weren’t, possibly, the worst thing to consume, i would eat one every day for lunch FOREVER and be extremely happy. but they’re equally irresistible and scary, so i’m always trying to come up with ways to imitate and curb my cravings for them. a broth of water flavoured with dried shiitake and seaweed is usually where i start, and miso soup has often followed. but this time i turned to a sesame paste in my freezer from a recipe i made months ago. this particular sesame paste was flavoured with tomatoes and herbs, which i think is why it worked so well to round out the broth. and the nutty sesame itself made the soup luscious and aromatic. it was never intended to be a soup base so i can’t fault this paste for not being perfect in this, but it was enough to get me thinking about how to create a healthy, vegetarian, ramen (or soba noodle!) soup option. something to work on, and i can’t wait to get started.
sometimes i stir an egg into my soup while it’s simmering, but in my lunch pictured above, i decided to poach one whole in the soup. toasted sesame seeds and scallions are always nice but do you ever put seasoned nori on your soups? that’s nice too. do you have favourite additions? if you want to share them, i’d be grateful, as well as any ideas for that soup base. maybe we can come up with the perfect recipe before there’s snow on the ground and we want need this soup every day.