There are 2 types of people in this world – marmite lovers and marmite haters. I fall solidly into the second category – can’t stand the stuff.

However. There are more ways of eating marmite than just smearing it on toast.

The concept of using marmite as the stock base in an asian style broth was a revelation when I first saw it in a recipe book in the Chef’s Warehouse in Cape Town about 4 years ago – it’s been in the back of my mind since then, and eventually we finally got down to it.

A world apart now, winter in Ireland – in need of something warm, comforting and different for supper, so a broth bowl was the natural choice.

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Tofu marmite ramen bowl

Course Main Course, Soup

Cuisine Asian, Fusion

Prep Time 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes minutes

Ingredients

• 1 bunch asparagus, sliced into 2cm pieces
• 1/2 small pack sugar snap peas
• 1 small pack baby corn, halved lengthwise
• 3 tbsp soya sauce
• 3 tbsp marmite use more or less according to how salty the broth is
• 3 cloves garlic, sliced
• 3 cm piece of ginger, juilienned
• 1/2 red chilli, sliced use the other half for decoration
• 3 spring onions, sliced, whites and greens seperated
• 5 dried shiitake mushrooms, chopped small Porchini mushrooms also work well.
• 6 cups water
• 1 tbsp lime juice can use lemon juice or vinegar instead
• 1 tbsp sugar or whatever your sweetner of choice is
• Noodles of choice cooked according to packet instructions
• 100g Tofu per person, cubed into 1cm cubes
• 20g dried cloud ear mushrooms, soaked in hot water or stock for 15 minutes
• Baby spinach
• Fresh coriander
• 1 Young zucchini, sliced thinly with a vegetable peeler

Instructions

• Preheat the grill/oven to its hottest setting.

  Dry fry the asparagus pieces, sugar snap peas and baby corn in a wok until vibrant and nutty, then set aside in a bowl.
• Fill the pot or wok with 6 cups of water and add the garlic, ginger, chilli, marmite, soya sauce, lime juice, sugar, dried chopped shiitake mushrooms, 1 tsp of salt and the white stalks of the spring onions, then simmer for 10-15 minutes to infuse all the flavours.

  Taste and adjust seasoning – adding more salt, sugar or lime juice as needed. The broth should be saltier than you think, since it's going over raw vegetables.

  Once you are happy with your broth, strain out the bits and keep warm until ready to serve.
• While that's on the go, toss the tofu cubes in a marinade if you wish (we didn't bother) and grill under a hot grill, turning once, until browning on the outside, about 10 minutes or so.
• Lay out all the ingredients in bowls on the table for each diner to assemble their own bowl, then top with steaming hot broth. Yummo.