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JRamene (Ramen)

Ramen is a traditional Japanese recipe for a classic dish of ramen noodles served in chicken dashi stock garnished with pork, shiitake mushrooms, hard-boiled eggs and nori sheets. The full recipe is presented here and I hope you enjoy this classic Japanese version of: Ramen.

prep time

20 minutes

cook time

35 minutes

Total Time:

55 minutes

Additional Time:

(+4 hours marinating)

Serves:

4

National:
Rating: 4.5 star rating

Tags : National Dish Pork RecipesJapan Recipes

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This is a classic version of ramen that's counted as one of the national foods of Japan.

Ingredients:

For the chicken dashi:
2l of chicken stock
16 dried shiitake mushrooms
30 g kombu (kelp), about a 25cm square piece
20g dried bonito flakes (about 2 c. loosely packed)

For tare and chashu (marinade and pork):
300ml low-sodium soy sauce
300ml mirin
120ml sake
300ml water
4 tbsp granulated sugar
2 tbsp packed brown sugar
8cm piece of fresh ginger, sliced
3 garlic cloves, peeled and smashed
3 spring onions, halved lengthways
500g pork belly, skin on, cut into 5cm wide strips

For nitamago (marinated eggs):
4 cold large eggs
675ml reserved chashu-tare liquid

For garlic la-yu (chili oil):
8 garlic cloves, sliced
120ml rapeseed oil
1 tbsp chilli powder or 1 1/2 tbsp crushed red chilli flakes
2 tsp sesame seeds

For each serving:
120g fresh ramen noodles
360ml chicken dashi
2 reserved shiitake mushrooms, sliced
3 tbsp or more tare, to taste
2 slices chashu
1 nitamago, halved
1 spring onion, white and light green parts only, very thinly sliced
2 tsp la-yu
Nori (optional)

Method:

This recipe makes enough broth and toppings for 4 servings and keeps well in the fridge for a week, so if you're cooking for one, it's the perfect thing to make on a Sunday and heat up throughout the week.

In a medium saucepan over medium heat, bring chicken stock to a bare simmer. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool for 2 minutes. Add the in mushrooms and kombu (kelp) and let them steep for 5 minutes. Now, add in bonito flakes and let them steep 5 more minutes. Strain and save solids for nitamago process and serving.

If needed, the resultant dashi can be stored, chilled, for up to a week.

Prepare the tare and chashu (marinade and pork): In a medium saucepan over medium heat, bring all ingredients except pork to a low simmer and reduce heat to low.

Meanwhile, in another medium-sized pan over medium heat, bring pork and 1.5l water to a low simmer. Drain immediately and gently rinse the pork.

Place the pork in the tare pot and bring to a simmer. Cover and continue to cook on low until tender, turning pork occasionally, for about 80 minutes. Take off the heat and set aside to cool for 20 minutes. At this point, strain the meat, reserving both the meat and the stock separately.

Once it has cooled, torch the skin side of the pork with a blowtorch then slice the pork into strips.

To prepare the nitamago (marinated eggs): In a medium-sized saucepan over high heat, bring 1.5l water to a rolling boil. Carefully prick the rounded bottoms of each egg with a pin to pierce the air sac. Gently lower the eggs into the pan with a slotted spoon, then reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer the eggs for 6 minutes. Drain.

Transfer the eggs to an ice bath and let them rest for 5 minutes. Crack the shells very gently, knocking one egg against another, then return to ice bath for 10 more minutes. Peel carefully.

Place the eggs in a medium bowl and pour the reserved pork marinade liquid over them. Weigh the eggs down with the reserved spent kombu (kelp) to ensure they're fully immersed in the liquid. Let them marinate in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours (and up to 12 hours).

Make the garlic la-yu (chilli-garlic oil): In a small saucepan over the lowest possible heat, simmer garlic in oil until tender and translucent, stirring occasionally (about 15 minutes). Keep the heat level low enough to avoid frying the garlic or it will burn and become bitter.

Remove from the heat and immediately stir in the chilli. Let rest 2 minutes, then stir in sesame seeds.

Once completely cool, store refrigerated in a closed container where it will keep for up to 2 weeks.

To serve: In a pan of boiling, salted, water, cook the ramen, stirring with tongs or chopsticks until al dente (about 1 minute). (If using instant ramen, discard the seasoning packet and follow packet instructions to cook until al dente.) Drain well.

In a small saucepan over medium heat, warm the dashi and shiitake until barely simmering. Cook for 1 minute and remove from the heat. Set the shiitake aside.

For each serving, add the dashi, tare, and noodles to a serving bowl. Top with chashu, nitamago, shiitake, spring onion, a drizzle of la-yu, and a sheet of nori, if using. Nestle in a halved egg and serve.