This is a real store cupboard classic. It really tastes great and is well worth trying - particularly if you're a peanut butter lover. The broth takes a little time, but it's easily possible to bring this together in around one hour.

Your toppings are completely interchangeable, I've simply cooked some bok choy in a pan but you could add any toppings of your choice from pan-fried aubergine, sweetcorn from a can, beansprouts, tofu, pan-fried mushrooms, chopped coriander....you get the idea.

Ingredients for Vegan Spicy Peanut Butter Ramen
Serves 2

For the broth
Stage 1
850ml Boiling water
1tsp Somerset Foodie vegetable stock
30g dried shiitake mushrooms, sliced into quarters
4 cloves garlic, sliced thinly (don't bother peeling)
1 knob fresh ginger, sliced thinly (again, don't bother peeling)
1 white onion, peeled and chopped into chunks
1 tablespoon white miso paste
1 tablespoon Hamadaya mirin
½ tablespoon Japanese Hamadaya Soy Sauce
1 star anise
A little oil for frying

Stage 2
3 cloves garlic, peeled and finely sliced
1 thumb sized piece of fresh ginger, finely diced (don't bother peeling)
1 heaped tablespoon gochujang
2 heaped tablespoon peanut butter (crunch or smooth, you decide)
Juice of 1 lime

For the noodles
2 portions of frozen udon noodles

For the toppings
2 pak choy, quartered
A little more oil for frying
Salt
2 spring onions, finely sliced
Shichimi Togarashi
Your chilli oil of choice - Ping's Peanut & Shallot Chilli Oil, LaoganMa Crispy Chilli Oil or White Mausu Peanut Rayu

1. In a large saucepan that's big enough to hold a couple of litres of liquid, gently fry the white onion chunks for a couple of minutes in a little oil until soft. Throw in the star anise, ginger and garlic and keep cooking for another minute.

2. Now add in the miso paste, the dried mushrooms, soy sauce, mirin, 1 teaspoon of Somerset Foodie veg stock and a litre of boiling water. Bring to the boil then turn the heat down and simmer for around 45 minutes.

3. About half an hour before you want to eat, fry the quartered bok choy in a frying pan with a little oil until they develop a bit of colour on both sides, seasoning with salt as you go. Then pour over ½ small cup full of hot water from the kettle. The pan will splutter a bit, but you are just using the steam that will be created from this small amount of water to soften the vegetable. Keep cooking until the bok choy is tender - you may have to add more water if necessary. Keep warm once they are done.

4. After the stock has been simmering for 40 minutes or so, in another large pot, fry the second batch of ginger and garlic in a little oil. After a couple of minutes, add in the gochujang and the peanut butter. The peanut butter and gochujang mixture will be quite stiff but using a sieve over the pan to catch any bits, start ladling in the hot stock and blending with the other ingredients until all your miso veg stock has been mixed in and you have a ramen soup like consistency.

5. Simmer this spicy broth for around 5 minutes, check for seasoning and add a little more soy sauce if required.

6. Boil the kettle again and pour boiling water over the frozen udon noodles and leave for 1 minute, then drian.

7. Time to plate up. Pile the noodles into two bowls and ladle over the spicy broth. Lay in the boy choy and garnish with spring onions, Shichimi Togarashi and chilli oil.

Now making loud slurping noises, get stuck in! Don't forget to tag us @somerset.foodie when you make this at home and leave a review if you love this recipe as much as we do.

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