This Homemade Ramen with Chow Mein Noodles & Bok Choy is super easy & only takes 15 minutes to make. Enjoy as it is or add your favorite protein.
Believe it or not, anyone can make homemade ramen!
I love ramen. I won’t deny it. I love those instant noodles that are so easy to make and gosh, they taste amazing, especially when you are starving.
I have never been to Japan but I know what I would be doing when I got there. Tasting Ramen everywhere I go! Well, I think you have to – just to see and more importantly taste the real deal, right? Apart from ramen, I would also taste sushi and other interesting foods that I haven’t tasted or seen before. I am sure there would be plenty of those.
Has any of you been to Japan? If yes, what is it like? What did you like the most about this country? Is there another specific Japanese dish apart from Ramen and sushi that I should know about? Let me know if there is. Oh, hang on! Eel is quite popular there as well, isn’t it? I don’t think I have ever eaten an eel. Have you?
Now because I crave ramen quite often and because I try to be creative with what we eat, this homemade ramen recipe is what I came up with about a month ago.
We enjoyed it very much so hopefully some of you will as well. To me a bowl of homemade ramen soup is as comforting as a bowl of minestrone soup. It warms my body from the inside and keeps me going for a while. It’s a perfect lunch for me.
This vegetable ramen has chow mein noodles in it for one simple reason: That was what I had in my pantry so I used them.
So this is a pretty quick recipe but if you are after something different you should check out this vegetable ramen with quail eggs. It’s also delicious.
How to make homemade ramen with bok choy
The prep is pretty fast. Cooking as well. Sliced ginger and garlic are sautéed in a pot, then bok choy (some might know it as pak choi) is added. Let it sweat a bit before pouring in water. I think vegetable broth would work well here but I haven’t used it. I reckon you might have to reduce the amount of salt added if using a store bought broth. Some of them could be salty, some not. Add soy sauce and oyster sauce and bring to a boil. Then simmer for about 2-3 minutes and you are done.
Now as for the noodles. Cook them separately in a different pot. If you cooked them in broth, they would suck a lot of the broth so you might end up with little or no liquid at all.
The garnish/toppings:
You can be pretty creative here but I went for a light and fast meal that has only veggies in. So avocado – now I wasn’t sure if avocado and ramen go together but surprisingly they do! Plus a wedge of lemon, parsley for a vitamin C boost and some more bok choy leaves.
It’s easy. It’s yummy. It’s perfect and it’s HOMEMADE! This is what I call a delicious bowl of ramen soup!
What if I don’t have all the ingredients to make this homemade vegetable ramen?
No worries there. I listed some alternatives for you. Just bear in mind that its taste will be slightly different.
Ingredients Substitutions/Alternatives:
- Garlic – You can omit this or use just ginger.
- Ginger – You can also omit this or use just garlic. However, I recommend using ginger for a stronger taste.
- Sesame Oil – Use extra virgin oil instead.
- Soy Sauce – I wouldn’t omit this ingredient.
- Water – Use vegetable broth instead.
- Chow Mein Noodles – Ramen noodles.
Homemade Ramen with Chow Mein Noodles & Bok Choy
Ingredients
- 3 cloves Garlic
- 1 Fresh Ginger – thumb size, peeled
- 3 tablespoons Sesame Oil
- 2 tablespoons Soy Sauce
- 3 tablespoons Oyster Sauce
- 4 cups Water
- 2 Bok Choy Heads
- 2 Large Avocados (or 4 small ones)
- Fresh Flat Leaf Parsley , a few sprigs
- 7 ounces Chow Mein Noodles (200 grams)
- 1 Lemon
- Salt to taste (if required)
Instructions
- Rinse bok choy and thinly slice one head. Leave the other head for garnish. Peel & thinly slice garlic and ginger.
- Pour sesame oil in a pot and add garlic + ginger. Sauté on medium-low for about a minute before adding sliced bok choy. Sauté for a further minute before pouring in water (or vegetable broth). Add soy sauce & oyster sauce.
- Cover with lid. Bring to a boil and simmer for a further 2-3 minutes before turning off the heat.
- Meanwhile: cook the noodles according to packet instructions. Cut avocados in halves, remove stones, skin and cut into slices. Cut lemon into wedges. Rinse parsley and chop it, if you prefer. Cut bok choy leaves into smaller pieces or just cut off some of the white part and separate the leaves.
- Divide noodles into 4 bowls. Pour over some broth and garnish each with avocado, lemon wedge, parsley and bok choy.
Beth says
What a beautiful dish of comfort food! My favorite is bok choy and I love the little quail eggs~
Julia | Happy Foods Tube says
Thanks!
Alicia says
I love making ramen, but I’ve never used avocado in mine. And your photos make me want to lick the screen! YUM.
Julia | Happy Foods Tube says
Try it and let me know what you think! :)
Silvia says
These days I tried bok choy for the first time, and I loved it!! It was super delicious and I want to eat it in more recipes. This one looks just perfect.
Julia | Happy Foods Tube says
Thanks, Silvia!
Luci's Morsels says
This looks delicious and I love how versatile it is! I can’t wait to try this. Thank you for sharing! Yummy!
Julia | Happy Foods Tube says
You are welcome, Luci! :)