Vegetable Ramen Noodles

Fill a medium pot 3/4 of the way up with water; cover and heat to boiling on high. Wash and dry the fresh produce. Peel the carrots and thinly slice on an angle. Cut off and discard the bottom 1/2 inch of the broccoli stem, then cut into small florets. Thinly slice the scallions, separating the white bottoms and hollow green tops. Peel and roughly chop 2 cloves of garlic. In a heatproof bowl, combine the soy sauce and 1/3 cup of hot water. In a separate bowl, whisk together the black bean sauce, soy glaze, and 1/3 cup of water.

Carefully add the eggs to the pot of boiling water and cook 7 minutes for soft-boiled, or until your desired degree of doneness. Leaving the pot of water boiling, using a slotted spoon or tongs, transfer the eggs to a strainer. Rinse under cold water 30 seconds to 1 minute to stop the cooking process. When cool enough to handle, peel the cooked eggs and place in the soy-water mixture. Set aside to marinate, gently turning occasionally, at least 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a large pan (nonstick, if you have one), heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil on medium-high until hot. Add the sliced carrots and broccoli florets; season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, 2 to 3 minutes, or until slightly softened. Add the sliced white bottoms of the scallions, chopped garlic, and as much of the red pepper flakes as you’d like, depending on how spicy you'd like the dish to be. Cook, stirring occasionally, 1 to 2 minutes, or until combined.

Meanwhile, add the noodles to the same pot of boiling water, stirring gently to separate. Cook, stirring occasionally, 2 to 3 minutes, or until tender. Turn off the heat. Reserving 1/2 cup of the noodle cooking water, drain and rinse under warm water 30 seconds to 1 minute to prevent sticking.

To the pan of cooked vegetables, add the cooked noodles, sauce (carefully, as the liquid may splatter), and half the reserved noodle cooking water. Cook on medium-high, stirring frequently, 1 to 2 minutes, or until thoroughly combined and the noodles are coated (if necessary, gradually add the remaining cooking water to ensure the noodles are thoroughly coated). Turn off the heat. Taste, then season with salt and pepper if desired. Serve the finished noodles and vegetables topped with the marinated eggs. Garnish with the sesame seeds and sliced green tops of the scallions. Enjoy!