Stir-frying tonight
Former MasterChef winner Tim Anderson lifts the lid on all that you need to know about making the perfect ramen in his new book, Ramen Forever.
Yu Xiang aubergine mixed noodles
This recipe is inspired by aburasoba – a soupless ramen dish where the noodles are served in a bowl with tare (dipping sauce) and oil at the bottom and toppings on top, which is then mixed together at the table.
“I’m tempted to call it an aburasoba… but it would not resemble any aburasoba I’ve seen in Japan,” says Anderson. “Aw heck, let’s just say it’s mixed noodles and call it a day!”
Serves 2. Ingredients: 1 large or 2 small dried shiitake mushrooms; 150ml just-boiled water; 1 large aubergine; oil, as needed for shallow-frying; 1tsp cornflour; 2tbsp shōyu; 1tbsp dark red miso (such as Hatchō miso); 1tbsp oyster sauce; 2tbsp Chinkiang vinegar, Japanese black vinegar or similar, plus extra to taste; 1 red pepper or a handful of small, sweet peppers, thinly sliced; 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped; 15g fresh ginger root, peeled and finely chopped; 1-2 dried red chillies, or a few pinches of chilli flakes (to taste); 3tbsp light brown sugar; 1tbsp sesame oil; 2 portions noodles; 2 spring onions, thinly sliced at an angle; 2 egg yolks; 50-60g Menma or tinned bamboo shoots; chilli oil, to taste.
Place the shiitake mushrooms in a small dish and cover them with the boiled water, then leave to rehydrate for about an hour. Meanwhile, cut the aubergine into batons or prisms about 2cm thick, and pour the oil into a large frying pan or wok to a depth of about 1cm.
Heat over a medium-high heat for a few minutes, then test the temperature by placing a piece of aubergine into the oil. If it sizzles vigorously immediately, the oil is ready. Add all of the aubergine to the oil and fry for about five to six minutes, turning often, until richly browned all over. Remove with a slotted spoon or spider and drain well on paper towels. Tip the oil out into a heatproof container, but leave about one tablespoon oil or so in the pan.
Once the mushrooms have rehydrated, remove their stems and cut them into thin slices. Stir the cornflour into the resulting mushroom dashi and stir together the shōyu, miso, oyster sauce and vinegar in a separate bowl until no lumps of miso remain.
Ensure you have all of your prep ready to go before cooking because the pace needs to be fairly quick once you begin. Place the pan with the reserved one tablespoon oil back over a high heat. Once the oil is shimmering, add the peppers and stir-fry for two to three minutes until browned.
Add the garlic, ginger and chillies, and stirfry for another one to two minutes, then add the sliced shiitake mushrooms and sugar and stir-fry briefly so the sugar melts and bubbles.
Add the liquid seasoning mixture and stir well, then add the cornflour and mushroom dashi mixture and bring to the boil so it thickens. Finally, tip in the fried aubergine and stir well to coat. Reduce the heat to low to keep warm while you cook the noodles.
Divide the sesame oil between the two bowls and add a few spoonfuls of the aubergine sauce to each one.
Boil the noodles until tender, then drain well and tip into the sauce. Stir the noodles through the sauce, then top with the aubergine and its sauce, and garnish with the spring onions, eggs and menma. Serve with chilli oil and extra vinegar – add as much as you like.
“Nothing special” ramen
“Sometimes the ramen craving strikes and there’s no ramen to be found – what do you do? Instant ramen does the job, of course, and some of it is excellent, especially if you’re able to add good toppings,” says Anderson.
“But even that is sometimes unavailable. This recipe is designed to tick the proper ramen box from common refrigerator and store cupboard ingredients – when you don’t have any good broth, nor tare, nor oils, nor nothing!”
Serves 1. Ingredients: 20g lard; 80g minced pork; 2 anchovies; half an onion, thinly sliced; a big handful of bean sprouts; 2 garlic cloves, grated; 1tbsp sesame oil; 2tbsp red miso; 1tbsp sugar; 1tbsp white wine; 1tbsp tomato puree; 2tbsp shōyu; 1tbsp peanut butter or tahini; a pinch each of white pepper and smoked paprika; 500ml water; 1tbsp grated Parmesan or Cheddar; 1 portion shop-bought noodles; a big pinch of sesame seeds; 1 spring onion, thinly sliced; chilli oil, to taste (optional); salt, to taste.
In a wok or medium saucepan, melt the lard over a high heat and add the pork mince, anchovies and onion. Stir-fry for a few minutes, breaking up the anchovies as you go, until the pork is cooked through and the onion has begun to soften. Toss in the bean sprouts and garlic and stir-fry for another one to two minutes, then tip everything out into a bowl.
Add the sesame oil to the pan and set over a medium heat, then add the miso and sugar and fry it for a few minutes until the aroma becomes rich and caramel-like. Stir in the white wine, tomato puree, shōyu and peanut butter or tahini and cook for another few minutes, then add the pepper, paprika, water and cheese.
Bring to the boil, add the noodles and cook them to your liking. Once they’re done, taste the broth and add salt or more water as needed – different noodles will absorb different amounts of liquid, so you’ll have to adjust for this accordingly.
Transfer the broth and noodles to a bowl and top with the stir-fried mince and veg and garnish with the sesame seeds and spring onion. Add as much chilli oil as you like.
A LOVE BORN IN LITTLE TOKYO
Former MasterChef winner Tim Anderson says his life would be “unrecognisable” if it wasn’t for ramen – a dish he famously cooked on the show.
“In 2005, I stumbled into a ramen shop randomly in Little Tokyo in LA and had this ramen moment that really got me hooked,” says Anderson, who grew up in Wisconsin and now lives in south-east London.
“From then, I started to try eat as much of it as possible, learn as much of it as possible. I didn’t think anything would ever come from it, it was just something I loved and was interested in.
“But then one thing led to another, and it’s really weird to think how different and unrecognisable my life would be if it weren’t for ramen.”