I know summer is supposed to be more relaxed, but between planning extra adventures with our kid, working gardening and yard chores into our schedules, enjoying the beautiful weather when it's beautiful, and juggling all the normal day to day work, home, and life balances, I'm sometimes trying to find the time to cook at the end of the day. Well, as long as I've got 20 minutes, I can get this fantastic ramen dish on the table!
Ramen is excellent because you can just toss your noodles in hot water (thank you, tea kettle!) while other stuff gets prepped. Shrimp is amazing because it cooks so quickly. And fresh seasonal produce only asks for a few minutes of heat to be crisp-tender. Put it all together with a quick and flavorful marinade/sauce and dinner is happening in minutes.
This tends to be a one bowl meal for me. I pour chilled glasses of iced tea, lemonade, beer, or cider and we just dig in. After all, there's gardening and sailing still on the list for the day!
Korean Shrimp Ramen
- 2 T. brown sugar
- 2 T. soy sauce
- 2 T. chili crisp
- 1 tsp. toasted sesame oil
- ¼ tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
- ½ tsp. grated fresh ginger
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 8 oz. shrimp, peeled and deveined
- 1 (3 oz.) package dried ramen, seasoning packet discarded or saved for another use (I sprinkle it on popcorn)
- 2 tsp. canola oil
- 8 oz. baby bok choy, coarsely chopped
- 2 scallions, cut into ½-inch pieces
- 6 oz. broccoli, cut into bite-sized pieces
- 2-3 radishes, sliced thinly
- 4 oz. grape tomatoes, cut in half
In a medium bowl, combine the first 7 ingredients (brown sugar through minced garlic) and stir to form a marinade/sauce. Place the peeled shrimp in the bowl and stir to coat well. Store in the refrigerator until ready to cook.
In another bowl (I like to use a large measuring cup, place the dried ramen and add enough bowling water to fully cover the noodles. Set a plate over the bowl or cup and let it rest for 5-10 minutes until fully softened. Drain and set aside in the container you rehydrated them in.
Add the canola oil to nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the bok choy, scallions, and broccoli; stir-fry until crisp-tender, about 7-8 minutes. Add the shrimp and all of the sauce as well as the drained noodles and continue stir-frying until the shrimp is fully cooked, the noodles are well incorporated, and the sauce is covering everything. Serve hot.
- Yields: 4 servings
- Preparation Time: 20 minutes