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Cozy Cuddle: Mild Kids Ramen Noodles

Recipe by The Cozy Bowl Kitchen

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  • Total Time20 minutes
  • Yield2 child portions 1x

A gentle, no-heat chicken ramen for children, with soft noodles cut short, a lightly seasoned broth, one slice of meat and a fried egg on top. Mild enough for a first bowl.

Ingredients

Scale

For the gentle broth

  • 500 ml reduced-salt chicken stock, or unsalted homemade stock
  • 2 slices fresh ginger
  • 1 spring onion, green top only
  • 2 tsp light soy sauce (reduced-salt if available)
  • 1 tsp mirin

For the bowls

  • 120 g fresh ramen noodles, or 80 g dried ramen nests
  • 2 slices cooked chicken or beef, about 60 g, cut into small strips
  • 2 large free-range eggs
  • 1 tsp vegetable oil, for frying
  • 3 tbsp tinned sweetcorn, drained (optional)

Instructions

  1. Put the stock in a saucepan with the ginger slices and the spring onion green top. Bring to a gentle simmer and cook for 5 minutes.
  2. Lift out and discard the ginger and spring onion top. Stir in the soy sauce and mirin.
  3. Taste the broth yourself. It should seem slightly under-seasoned to an adult palate. If it tastes correctly seasoned to you, dilute it with a little hot water.
  4. Cook the noodles in a separate pan of unsalted boiling water, to the packet time or 30 seconds longer so they are soft. Drain well.
  5. Tip the drained noodles onto a board and run a knife through them several times in different directions, shortening them to roughly 5 cm lengths.
  6. Heat the vegetable oil in a frying pan over a medium-high heat. Crack in the eggs. For a runny yolk, fry for 2 to 3 minutes until the white is completely opaque with no clear patches. For a firm yolk, cover the pan with a lid for the final minute.
  7. Divide the cut noodles between two shallow, wide bowls. Ladle about 250 ml of hot broth over each.
  8. Add the strips of cooked meat and the sweetcorn, keeping them visible on top rather than buried.
  9. Slide a fried egg onto each bowl.
  10. Leave to stand for 2 to 3 minutes, then stir once and check the temperature yourself before serving. Offer a fork and a spoon.

Notes

Cut the noodles: The most useful thing in this recipe. Long noodles are difficult for small children to manage and a choking risk for the youngest. Chopping the drained noodles to about 5 cm takes thirty seconds and transforms the bowl.

Salt: Children are far more sensitive to salt than adults. Use a reduced-salt or unsalted stock, only 2 tsp of soy for two bowls, and lean on the mirin for sweetness. If the broth tastes right to you, it is too salty for a small child.

Temperature: Freshly ladled broth is far too hot for a child. Rest the bowl for 2 to 3 minutes, stir it once so the hot centre mixes with the cooler edges, and check it yourself before handing it over.

Egg safety: UK Food Standards Agency advice is that British Lion marked eggs may be eaten raw or lightly cooked by everyone, including young children. Eggs without the Lion mark and imported eggs should be cooked until both white and yolk are solid.

Feeding the whole family: Make this gentle broth, serve the children first, then add more soy sauce, 1 tsp sesame oil and chilli oil to the remaining broth for the adults.

Variations: Leave out the ginger for an even milder bowl. Use only 150 ml broth per bowl if they prefer noodles they can pick up. Add finely sliced carrot simmered in the broth for 5 minutes, or a little wilted spinach. Leave the egg out and add extra meat and sweetcorn.

Equipment: Two saucepans, a frying pan, a colander, a board and knife, a ladle and wide shallow bowls.

Please note: For any specific questions about your own child’s diet, weaning stage or allergies, speak to your health visitor or GP.

Allergen note: Always check the label of every ingredient you use, as recipes and allergen information can change. People with food allergies or intolerances must also consider cross-contamination.

Take particular care with the noodles (wheat, egg), soy sauce (soya, wheat), mirin (sulphites in some brands), stock (celery, wheat) and the eggs. Allergen information must be confirmed by The Cozy Bowl before it is relied upon.

This is a home recipe inspired by a dish or flavour available at The Cozy Bowl. It is not the restaurant’s exact commercial recipe.

Find it online: https://thecozybowl.co.uk/cozy-cuddle-mild-kids-ramen/