Seared bokchoy soup, cremini mushrooms, and ramen noodles – add on some minced meat to make this comfort meal bowl even heartier! Hearty one-pot meals are simply perfect for winter. Fresh green vegetables are one of the many perks of winter. And as it so happens, one pot meals have increasingly become my go-to. (Mainly because there isn’t as much cleaning up to be done later)
Freshness from the bokchoy and umami and earthiness of the cremini mushrooms makes this broth perfect for winter. Cremini mushrooms, unlike button are meatier in texture. You can switch to regular button mushrooms too, but take a chance on a new variety. Check out some interesting mushroom variety here.
Cooking bokchoy
Bokchoy is a Chinese cabbage and is a popular side dish with garlic and soy in traditional Chinese restaurants. My first memory of this typical green is from Calcutta and the old school Chinese there. And then seeing it being sold in abundance all across Majnu ka Tilla. Baby bokchoy is not just easier and quicker to cook but it looks adorably cute in ramen and soups.
Bokchoy is mostly sliced in half and then washed for any dirt or mud. Cook it heart side down with neutral oil until the heart is soft and the leaves wilted. Bigger bokchoy pieces can be sliced into thickness of about half an inch and then cooked through.
Love soups? Try these –
Roasted bell pepper soup
Coconut milk maggi soup
Laksa noodle soup
Ingredients for seared bokchoy soup – serves 1
- Baby bokchoy – 6
- Cremini mushrooms – 50g
- Mutton mince – 150g – optional
- Onions – 1/2 cup
- Garlic – 2tbsp
- Olive oil – 2tbsp
- Soy sauce – 2tsp
- Salt and pepper – to taste
- Vegetable or chicken stock – 250ml
- Ramen cake – 1
Method
- Cut pokchoy in half and wash them thoroughly. Heat 1 tbsp oil in a pan and sear the hearts until soft. Do not overcrowd the pan, cook them in portions if need be. Remove from the pan and set aside.
- Add onions to the pan and cook for 4-5 minutes, until pink. Add the chopped garlic and mix well.
- If you are adding the meat, add the meat at this point, mix it with the onions and cook for about 5 minutes.
- Mix in the cremini mushrooms and saute for another minute.
- Season with soy sauce, and pepper. Most stocks already have salt, so season to your taste at the end.
- Mix back the cooked bokchoy and top with the stock. Cook on low heat for 20 minutes.
- Add a cake of ramen and cook until the noodles are done.
- Top with chili oil and serve steaming hot!