Ramen

A low-FODMAP ramen with homemade chicken broth, rice noodles, a jammy soft-boiled egg, and scallion greens, seasoned with garlic-infused oil, tamari, and a little miso.

Prep 15 min

Cook 20 min

Serves 2

Gluten-freeDairy-free

Ingredients

Broth

• 4 cups (about 1 liter) low-FODMAP chicken broth
• 1 inch (2.5 cm) fresh ginger, sliced
• 1/2 cup (about 40 g) scallion greens, plus more to finish

Tare and Aromatic Oil

• 2 tablespoons gluten-free tamari
• 1 tablespoon yellow or white miso (low-FODMAP at 1 tablespoon / 12 g)
• 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
• 1 tablespoon garlic-infused olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon sugar (optional, balances sharp tamari)

Noodles and Toppings

• 6 oz (170 g) rice ramen or plain rice noodles (2 nests)
• 2 large eggs
• 1 1/2 cups sliced bok choy (Monash low at 1 cup / 75 g per serve)
• 1 small carrot, cut into thin coins
• 1/2 cup canned bamboo shoots, drained (optional; low at 1 cup)
• 1 sheet nori, halved
• Toasted sesame seeds
• White pepper
• Chili oil or chili flakes (optional)
• 1 cup shredded cooked chicken or sliced cooked pork (optional)

Instructions

Soft-Boil the Eggs

1. Bring a small pot of water to a gentle boil. Lower in the eggs straight from the fridge and set a timer for 7 minutes for a jammy yolk, or 8 minutes for firmer.
2. Move the eggs to a bowl of ice water for 5 minutes, then peel. Halve them just before serving. Refrigerate any you don't use and eat them within a day.

Build the Broth

1. Pour the broth into a saucepan. Add the sliced ginger and the 1/2 cup scallion greens. Bring to a low simmer and hold for 10 minutes so the ginger and onion flavor infuse.
2. Fish out the ginger and the spent scallion greens. Whisk in the tamari, miso, and sesame oil. Taste, and add the pinch of sugar if the tamari tastes sharp. Keep warm over low heat and don't let it boil hard once the miso is in.
3. In a small skillet, warm the garlic-infused oil over low heat for about 30 seconds, then set it aside to spoon over each bowl.

Cook the Vegetables and Noodles

1. Add the bok choy and carrot to the simmering broth for the last 2 to 3 minutes, until bright and just tender.
2. Cook the rice noodles in a separate pot of boiling water per the package, usually 4 to 6 minutes. Drain and divide between two deep bowls. Cooking the noodles apart from the broth keeps the broth from turning starchy.

Assemble

1. Ladle the hot broth and vegetables over the noodles.
2. Top each bowl with a halved egg, the bamboo shoots, a piece of nori, and any cooked chicken or pork.
3. Spoon the warm garlic-infused oil over the top, then finish with fresh scallion greens, sesame seeds, white pepper, and chili oil if you want heat. Serve right away while the noodles are hot.

Tips & Substitutions

• Buy noodles that are just rice or rice and millet. Plain rice noodles and rice ramen are naturally gluten-free. Scan any packaged gluten-free ramen for onion powder, garlic powder, or inulin (chicory root), which show up in some seasoning-coated brands.
• Homemade broth is the base worth the effort. Store-bought chicken broth and ramen seasoning packets almost always list onion and garlic. Make low-FODMAP chicken broth ahead, or use a certified low-FODMAP brand.
• Marinate the eggs for a ramen-shop egg. Steep peeled soft-boiled eggs in 3 tablespoons tamari plus 3 tablespoons water for 2 to 12 hours in the fridge, then halve.
• Add protein within Monash serves. Shredded chicken, sliced pork, or firm tofu (100 g per serve) all work. Firm tofu is low-FODMAP; silken tofu is not.
• Swap the vegetables freely. Bean sprouts, baby spinach, and thin carrot are low-FODMAP. Skip regular onion, and keep mushrooms and snow peas out of the bowl since both climb quickly.
• Miso adds depth but is optional. Yellow or white miso is low-FODMAP at 1 tablespoon (12 g). Leave it out and add an extra teaspoon of tamari if you don't keep it on hand.

Why This Works

• Garlic-infused oil, not garlic. Fructans are garlic's FODMAP, and they don't dissolve into oil, so a finishing drizzle of garlic-infused olive oil carries the flavor without the load.
• Scallion greens for the onion note. The fructans sit in the white bulb. The green tops are low-FODMAP, so they season the broth and finish the bowl.
• Homemade broth controls the aromatics. Commercial broths and seasoning packets are built on onion and garlic powder. A from-scratch broth keeps them out of the base.
• Rice noodles in place of wheat ramen. Traditional ramen noodles are wheat. Rice or rice-millet noodles keep the bowl gluten-free and low-FODMAP.

Storage

Store the parts separately. The broth keeps 3 to 4 days in the fridge and freezes for up to 3 months; reheat it gently so the miso stays smooth. Cooked rice noodles soften and clump, so cook them fresh for each bowl. Marinated eggs keep 2 days in the fridge, while plain soft-boiled eggs are best the day you cook them.

Not sure about an ingredient? The FODMAP Foods app rates 1,000+ foods low, moderate, or high FODMAP, with the safe portion for each, so you can cook with confidence.