if you want to try a new idea for a ramen, this recipe is the perfect alternative to the options available on our menu. you can find this delicious recipe in “the wagamama cookbook”

you need

• 2 x 150g (5oz) boneless duck breasts (skin on)
• 2 teaspoons shichimi**
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon sugar
• 250g (9oz) ramen noodles
• 1 litre (1 ¾ pints) vegetable stock
• 2 handfuls of roughly chopped pak choi or baby spinach
• 4 spring onions, trimmed and finely sliced

instructions

prepare the duck by lightly scoring the skin. mix the shichimi, salt and sugar together in a shallow dish and lay the duck breast in the marinade, skin-side down. put a plate on top and weigh it down with something heavy – say a couple of unopened cans of baked beans. place the weighted duck in the fridge and marinate for 1 hour or if possible overnight
to cook the duck, preheat a griddle or frying pan over a medium heat for 1-2 minutes until hot and almost smoking. cook the duck, skin-side down, for 5 minutes, then turn over and cook on the other side for 3 minutes or until cooked. set aside to rest for 5 minutes
to serve, cook the noodles in a large pan of boiling water for 2-3 minutes or until just tender. drain and divide between 2 bowls. bring the vegetable stock to the boil, add the pak choi and cook for 1 minute, then ladle over the noodles. check the seasoning. thinly slice the duck at a slight angle and place on top along with the spring onions

**seven spice pepper – a grainy mixture of chilli pepper, black pepper, dried orange peel, sesame seeds, poppy seeds, slivers of nori seaweed and hemp seeds, this is widely available at oriental stores