Absolutely do have some instant noodles in your kitchen. Super-cheap and super-quick, they are a valuable larder ingredient. Here in this quick-fix ramen, don’t bother using the little sachet (eerily potent for something so tiny!) that accompanies the noodles; flavour, nutrients too, can come from elsewhere.
Miso should be a staple of any storecupboard. Used in Japan as a general seasoning, it is made from fermented soybeans, salt and a friendly natural fungus. Specialist misos can have other ingredients added during the ferment, such as rice, buckwheat and barley. Dark miso is fermented for longer and has a more intense taste, while light miso is pale with a sweeter taste. Most supermarkets will stock a basic miso paste, and it is a very handy ingredient to have in your fridge. With characteristic flavours of salty, sweet, earthy, fruity and savoury, miso is most commonly served as a soup when mixed with dashi (kelp and preserved tuna) stock. Miso can also be used as a dressing for many Asian-inspired salads or as a marinade. Kept in the fridge, miso has a long shelf life, up to a year at least.
Like miso, mirin is also worth shelf space. A sweet Japanese wine, mirin lends mild acidity to many dishes. Buy some. If you don’t have any mirin, but need to ape the sweet tangy liquid, you can use sherry or Marsala or some rice vinegar mixed with a little brown sugar to taste.