Meatless Monday: it’s one of my favourite days, and some of my favourite recipes of Nina’s are in fact, meatless. But, before we get into the swing of things, I think I should open with a disclaimer and introduce myself. Hi to all of Nina’s regular readers, my name is ‘Q the Intern’ and I will be helping out during Nina’s time away. Not to worry though – I’ve learned from the best, and I promise the short transition will be as full of life and flavour as Nina and her decadent delights.

Now, onto the main story: Meatless Monday. If you’ve never come across the term, or don’t know much about it, the main focus of the initiative is to dedicate one day of the week (three guesses which one) towards better physical health and reducing the stress on the environment by taking a break from our favourite ‘M’ word. Don’t get me wrong – I’m all about a good steak and an even better tjoppie on the braai, but this is a really great way to ensure that our cholesterol levels are even, and that we don’t run out of cows anytime soon (because another drought is the last thing SA needs).

That said, just because Monday is our health and environmental conscious day, doesn’t mean it has to be boring. Nina is a dynamite at cooking, but what gets her excited the most are the “what’s in the cupboard” challenges that let her use her awesome creativity and pallet. And going meatless does just that. This Meatless Monday, Nina has just the thing if you’re in a pinch and want the same warm, full-tummy feeling that you get from a big old roast: Easy Mushroom Ramen. Let me tell you, being a fresh uni graduate with very little income, you tend you develop an intimate relationship with ramen… until you eventually mutiny and have to try and make ‘real’ food. I thought I wouldn’t be able to look at anything ramen-based again, but Nina’s Meatless Monday dish is making me sing another tune altogether.

This dish is perfect for the current Cape Town weather especially (from boiling to chilly in 2 days): warm, tangy Japanese flavour, a few of your five-a-day, and most importantly a delicious serving of protein and light carbs to give you that lean-back-in-your-chair post-meal satisfaction.

Easy Mushroom Ramen

serves 6

Ingredients

First make your stock

1 large onion finely chopped

30 ml vegetable oil

1 clove garlic – finely chopped

1 cm piece ginger – grated

250 g cleaned and sliced mushrooms – try and use a variety

2 liters mushroom stock – made with dried mushrooms and boiling water

Now make the broth

2 liter or 4 cups clear mushroom stock

1 big chili – I keep mine whole

50 – 80 ml soy

10 ml miso paste – available at Eastern Supermarkets

10 ml sugar

juice of 1 lime

For serving

250 g – sliced mushrooms

20 ml vegetable oil

2 liter broth

1 clove garlic

1 cm piece ginger

500 g Japanese noodles

fresh bok choy for serving

6 soft boiled eggs

chopped chili

Method

First make your stock, this is a very important step. Because you work with mushrooms, it is really quick. Heat the oil in a wok or pot and add the the garlic, ginger and onion. Saute for 2 minutes. Add the mushrooms and really take time to get good color on those mushrooms. Once the mushrooms have a good color and you have lots of flavor in the wok, add the mushrooms stock and boil for at least 15 minutes. Pass the stock through a cloth or sieve and keep until needed. Discard or the mushrooms and onion that was used for the stock

To make the broth

Place the clear stock in a pot and heat. Add the chili, miso, soy, sugar,grated the garlic and ginger into the pot. Add the noodles and cook in the stock until soft. While this is happening, heat some oil in a frying pan and fry the remaining mushrooms on high heat until golden brown. Once the noodles are soft, serve the broth and noodles with the fried mushrooms and a boiled egg on top. If you are using bok choy, quickly add it to the broth for the last 2 minutes.

et Voilá! A great Meatless Monday dish that will have you and your dinner-mates pulling a “Lady and the Tramp” move just to get a little bit more!

More Ramen, More Meat-free