How to make rich broth for ramen
Egg noodles. I love this innocuous pasta. The rich, tender noodles comfort me when I have a cold, have suffered a challenging day or need to recover from a week of “research eating.”
When they are buttery and cheesy, or topped with chicken paprikash, my childhood feels close. Fried crispy and topped with veggies, they bring to mind my first trip to New York’s Chinatown. A brothy version, enlivened with bold seasonings, evokes my first visit to a Tokyo ramen shop alongside a dear brother.
Perhaps those egg noodles are the reason a great big bowl of ramen proves so appealing. Not the cheap mushy instant ramen of college days; rather, the toothsome noodles nestled in rich broth alongside chunks of vegetables, egg, roasted pork or chicken.
Wow, I enjoy this hearty bowl any time of the day or night, cold weather or warm. Let’s make it at home. Let’s start with the noodles. Look for egg noodles in the Asian section of most large grocery stores. Plan on about two ounces uncooked noodles per main-dish serving.
Noodles in hand, let’s talk broth. The best bowl of ramen is only as good as the broth. My favourite way to make a well-seasoned broth is in the slow cooker. I can leave it unattended while I’m working and come home to a house that smells good. The slow cooker proves especially welcome in warm weather because it doesn’t heat up the house like a stockpot bubbling on the stove.
When making broth for ramen, I add some dried shiitake mushrooms for their umami quality along with green onion for sweetness and rice wine for interest. I also like to add a piece of seaweed. This sea plant adds an intriguing sea flavour. I simmer a small piece in water for a few minutes and then let it steep while the bones roast in the oven. Certified organic kelp tastes good here too.
I like to add grilled chicken thighs and soy-wasabi cooked eggs to my bowl of broth and noodles. For variety, I squirrel away bits of roasted meat and vegetables to tuck into ramen bowls. I especially like charred and roasted flavours in my broth. Variations Other ideas for additions to your ramen bowl:
• Pan-seared, sliced, fully cooked pork belly
• Thinly sliced roasted pork or grilled pork ribs
• Grilled or steamed shrimp, peeled
• Grilled or pan-seared pieces of super firm tofu
• Grilled or pan-charred sliced sweet onion or whole green onions
• Fresh mung bean sprouts and bamboo shoots
• Steamed peapods
Slow Cooker Roasted Broth
No slow cooker? Simmer the bones with the kombu water and remaining ingredients in a large pot, stirring often, with the lid partly covering the pot, for three to four hours.
MAKES ABOUT 8 CUPS
1½ pounds chicken wings, separated at their joints 1½ pounds pork neck bones ¼ to ½-ounce piece kombu (kelp), optional 4 green onions, chopped 2 dried shiitake mushrooms, broken ¼ cup sake or Chinese rice wine (or dry white vermouth)
Prep: 15 minutes; cook: 45 minutes, plus eight hours in the slow cooker
1. Heat oven to 400 degrees. Put wings and bones on a large baking sheet in an uncrowded layer. Roast, turning once or twice, until golden brown on all sides, about 45 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, if using the kombu, heat 10 cups water and the kombu to a boil in a large saucepan. Simmer about 10 minutes. Then let steep while the bones finish browning. Use tongs to remove and discard the kombu.
3. Transfer the bones with all their pan drippings to a large (4quart) slow cooker. Add kombu water (or 10 cups fresh water if not using the kombu) and the remaining ingredients. Cover and slow-cook on low, eight hours.
4. Strain broth into a container. Refrigerate covered up to one week. Freeze up to several months.
Shortcut broth: Simmer 1 quart of store-bought chicken, vegetable or seafood broth (check out your local butcher’s house-made broth if possible) with 2 tablespoons of mirin or dry vermouth, 1 or 2 tablespoons miso paste, 1 or 2 thin slices fresh ginger and 1 or 2 teaspoons soy sauce in a saucepan for 10 minutes. Strain before using.
Grilled Chicken Ramen Bowls
I like to add a couple of spoonfuls of miso to give the broth body and flavour.
Shiro miso is light and sweet — perfect for a weekday bowl of ramen.
Shichimi togarashi is a Japanese chili pepper spice blend. Use a combination of salt, pepper and crushed red pepper flakes if it is unavailable.
MAKES 2 SERVINGS
4 cups slow cooker roasted bone broth or shortcut broth, see recipes 2 tablespoons shiro miso, optional 1 to 2 tbsp soy sauce to taste 1 to 3 tbsp chili paste or Korean gochujang, optional ½ cup thinly sliced fresh shiitake mushroom caps (no stems) 3 medium egg noodle nests, about 5 ounces total 2 grilled shichimi chicken thighs (see recipe), thinly sliced 1 soy wasabi hard-cooked egg (see recipe), halved 2 radishes, very thinly sliced ¼ cup sliced bamboo shoots 2 green onions, charred in a skillet or chopped Small handful fresh bean sprouts Chopped fresh cilantro Japanese Shichimi togarashi
Prep: 30 minutes; cook: 10 minutes 1. Heat broth in small saucepan until hot. Season to taste with miso, soy sauce and chili paste. The broth should be highly seasoned. Add mushrooms and simmer over low heat.
2. Have all the remaining ingredients ready and near the cooking surface. Fill two deep soup bowls with very hot water to heat them.
3. Meanwhile, for noodles, heat a large pot of salted water to a boil. Drop noodles into the water; cook, stirring, until al dente (tender but still a bit firm in the centre), about three minutes. Use tongs or a slotted wire basket to remove noodles to a plate. Save the cooking water for later.
4. When ready to serve, bring the noodle cooking water to a boil again and dunk the noodles back in to reheat, about 20 seconds. Dump the hot water out of the soup bowls.
Divide the hot noodles between the heated bowls. Top each with half of the sliced chicken, egg, radish, bamboo shoots, green onions and bean sprouts. Gently ladle hot broth over all.
Sprinkle with cilantro. Serve right away. Pass the pepper blend at the table.
Soy-wasabi eggs: Mix 3 tablespoons soy sauce and 1 teaspoon wasabi paste in a small dish. Add two peeled hard-cooked eggs. Let soak, turning eggs often, 10 to 20 minutes until eggs are golden in colour. Remove from soy bath.
Per serving: 768 calories, 26 g fat, 8 grams saturated fat, 360 milligrams cholesterol, 74 g carbohydrates, 13 g sugar, 55 g protein, 1,409 mg sodium, 11 g fibre
Grilled Shichimi Chicken Thighs MAKES 4 SERVINGS
4 to 6 medium boneless chicken thighs Shichimi togarashi Sesame seeds Finely sliced green onions
Prep: 5 minutes; cook: 12 minutes 1. Heat a gas grill or prepare a charcoal grill to medium heat. (Or heat a broiler to medium high.)
2. Meanwhile, generously sprinkle chicken thighs on all sides with shichimi.
3. Grill chicken directly over the heat source (or on a pan set eight inches from the broiler), turning once, until almost firm when pressed with your finger or a spatula, usually 10 to12 minutes. Remove from grill. Sprinkle generously with sesame seeds and green onions.
Per serving: 314 calories, 20 grams fat, 6 g saturated fat, 180 milligrams cholesterol, 0 g carbohydrates, 0 g sugar, 31 g protein, 138 mg sodium, 0 g fibre