Spicy Sriracha Ramen with Poached Egg

Weekends sometimes call for emergency hangover food. In college, this mostly meant cooking up a package of chicken ramen and curling up in bed watching Entourage re-runs in my sorority house. As I have gotten older, the nights our drinking have decreased, but somehow the degree of hangovers have worsened. One thing has stayed constant, there is nothing more comforting than a bowl of ramen noodles. This grown up version tosses out the old-school seasoning packet and obtains it's flavor from a mixture of sriracha hot sauce, sesame oil, and coconut aminos, a soy-free gluten-free version of soy sauce. You can really class it up by serving this with a poached egg on top, an ode to a good bowl of pho. Plus, today is National Hot & Spicy Food Day, so there's no reason NOT to make this. 

Spicy Sriracha Ramen with Poached Egg
Serves 2-3

Ingredients:

• 2 tbsp. sesame oil
• 2 tbsp. sriracha hot sauce
• 1/2 onion, chopped
• 1-inch fresh ginger, grated
• 5 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tsp. old bay seasoning
• 2 cups water
• 4 cups vegetable broth
• 1 tbsp. coconut aminos (or sub soy sauce)
• 1 tsp. rice vinegar
• 3 packages ramen noodles, discard seasoning packets
• 1/2 cup green onions, chopped
• 1/2 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
• 1 poached egg per serving

Heat the sesame oil and sriracha over medium heat in a large soup pot. Add in the chopped onions and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Add in the ginger, garlic, and old bay seasonings. Cook for another minute before adding in the water. Remove form the heat and add to a blender. Blend until smooth.

Add back into the soup pot and pour in the broth. Bring the mixture to a boil, then lower the heat to a simmer, adding in the coconut aminos and vinegar, cooking for 10 minutes. 

Add in the ramen noodles and cook for 3-4 minutes until the noodles are softened. Remove from heat, toss in the scallions, and stir to mix. 

To serve, ladle into shallow bowls then top with chopped cilantro and a poached egg.

Recipe inspired by.