VEGAN RAMEN BOWL

I absolutely love Japanese food - it's delicious, easy to digest & leaves you feeling light & energised. Full of dishes such as soba noodles and rice, it's perfect for someone on a gluten free diet.
I'm obsessed with sushi & green tea, eating with chopsticks & basically all things Japanese.
My sister and I ate at a beautiful Japanese restaurant a little while ago, where they served us tea and gave us paper & instructions so we could practice origami while we waited for the food. I was literally in heaven!
The problem I have with most Asian inspired recipes is that they call for lots of unfamiliar ingredients such as bonito flakes, wasabi, miso - things that I would buy just for the recipe & then never use again,(been there, done that, got the t shirt!) So I've tried to keep this recipe as simple as I can.

Serves 2 - double or triple to serve 4 or 6.

For the broth
600 ml stock. Chicken or vegetable (homemade or from a cube)
10 shiitake mushrooms
1 inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled & grated.
1 dessert spoon Tamari soy sauce

150 g soba noodles
200 g firm tofu
6 mushrooms - sliced
75 g sugar snap peas
6 spring onions (Topped, tailed & chopped)
sesame oil to cook ((or any other cooking oil you normally use)

1. Place all the broth ingredients into a saucepan. Bring to the boil, then reduce to a simmer. Cover the pan with a lid & leave to simmer on low for about 30 mins.
2. Remove the shiitakes from the broth & discard. (They tend to turn to rubber, but this way all the nutrients & flavour have been absorbed into the broth.)
3. Place the noodles into the broth. Return to the heat, bring to the boil, then reduce so that it's gently bubbling away for about 8 mins (until the noodles are cooked)
4. Meanwhile, pat the tofu dry using paper towel or a clean tea towel. Cut into cubes.
5. Place 2 tablespoons sesame oil (or any other cooking oil) & 2 tablespoons water in a frying pan. Turn the heat to medium high & add the tofu, mushrooms & sugar snaps. Add in one dessert spoon Tamari soy sauce. Stir fry for around 5 minutes, until the vegetables are cooked & the tofu has turned golden brown.
6. Divide the noodles & broth into two bowls. Do the same with the tofu & vegetables.
7. Served here with some fresh watercress (optional). I also love roasted cashews to top it off.