The weekend has been a rainy one, cool for this time of year.  Gets you thinking about fall.  The calm, the quiet: Leaves rustle, wood smoke, the smell of hot soup when you walk into the house…  Autumn has always been my favorite season.

My son Ian has been perfecting a simple but quite delicious ramen soup.  Start to finish is around 30 minutes.  It does require 2 Asian market items, but both are dried and store well till they’re next needed.  The other items can be found a most grocers.

He found the recipe on-line, but when he tried to make as per directions,  not much of it went well.  So after a few tries and modifications, we have something truly enjoyable without going too crazy making it.

For 6 ample servings.

You’ll need:

2-3 Tbs vegetable oil

1 1/2 tsp toasted sesame oil

1/2 tsp red pepper flakes (or to taste)

1 1/2 Tbs ginger-garlic paste

3 Tbs soy sauce

2 Tbs rice wine or mirin

2 quarts of good quality chicken stock

1 oz sliced dried shitake mushrooms

2 cups chopped smoked chicken (we smoke batches, chop, and freeze for meals like this)

7 oz dried guan miao noodles

6 soft boiled eggs

chinese (garlic) chives and blossoms, sliced  (these are easy to grow in most gardens)

In a medium large stock pot, place both oils and pepper flakes.  Put over medium-high heat and wait for oil to warm and pepper to infuse-around 2 minutes.  Add garlic ginger paste and stir.  Reduce heat if needed and cook for 1 minute.  Add soy sauce and rice wine and cook for another minute.  Add all the stock, stirring and then the dried mushrooms.  Bring to a simmer and cook until mushrooms are softened 5-10 minutes.

While the mushrooms and stock simmer….

Bring a small pot of water to boil.  Add 6 eggs and cook for 7 minutes (from the time added to the pot).  Remove eggs and place into bowl of ice water to stop the cooking.  Set aside.

Once the mushrooms have softened, Add to guan miao noodles, breaking into shorter lengths as you place into the pot.  Simmer for 3 minutes (or until tender-see package).  Turn off the heat.  Remove eggs from cold water and carefully peel.  (Soft boiled eggs are a bit more delicate to peel without tearing.)

Ladle soup into bowls, add 1 peeled egg per bowl.  Add a generous portion of chives and blossoms too if you have them.  Serve immediately-Enjoy!