Oh Japan. You're so cute. I happily vowed to pour my heart and soul into shoyu ramen. It was a three-day affair. It ended well. Very well.
I invited some lovely friends and told them to bring empty stomachs and challenged them to bring a Japanese dessert. They obliged and we enjoyed a wonderful Saturday night filled with noodles, sarcasm, sweet treats and sake. Fun all around.
I started the dashi on Wednesday evening it was finished by Friday night. Perfect timing for a Saturday party.
Shoyu Ramen (loosely following this recipe)
Ingredients
The following will serve 10
Kombu Dashi And Tare
· 2-4 pieces dried kombu
· 1 cup soy sauce (shoyu)
· 4 tbsp. dry sake
· 2 Tbsp. mirin
Pork And Stock
3 lbs. boneless pork shoulder
1 1/2 lbs pork belly
2 Tbsp. vegetable oil
2 lbs. chicken necks, backs, and/or wings
2 lbs. pork ribs
2 bunches scallions, chopped
1 1/2 cups of baby carrots
2 heads of garlic, halved horizontally
3 1” pieces ginger, peeled, sliced
1/2 cup bonito flakes
salt and freshly ground black pepper
Ramen And Garnishes
12 soft boiled and marinated eggs
ramen noodles
1 cup menma (fermented bamboo shoots)
2 bunches scallions, thinly sliced
6 toasted nori sheets, torn in half
Chili oil, toasted sesame oil, and shichimi togarashi (for serving)
Preparation:
Soak the kombu in 8 quarts of water and let sit at room temperature for 2 days.
Mix the soy sauce, mirin and sake and refrigerate for at least 2 days.
Sear the pork belly in a large pot with vegetable oil. Remove and set aside. Sear the pork shoulder in same pot. Remove and set aside. Return the pork belly to pot and add ribs, chicken, carrots, ginger, bonito flakes and cover with as much kombu water as will fit in the pot. Medium boil for 4 hours skimming the surface occasionally and adding more kombu water as the stock reduces. During the last 1.5 hours add the pork shoulder to the stock.
Strain out the stock reserving only the pork shoulder, pork belly and broth. Discard everything else.
Chill overnight.
Next day, skim off any fat on the top of the stock. Heat a pot of water and cook noodles. In a separate pot heat up stock to boiling and add the soy sauce mixture.
Assemble bowls by placing large amount of noodles, slices of pork belly and pork shoulder in bowls, and covering them with hot broth. (The broth will heat up the chilled pork).
Garnish with soft boiled eggs, nori sheet, scallions, menma, sesame oil, and a dash of shichimi togarashi.
Wonderful meal with wonderful friends and kids. After our soups, we brought out the tasty dessert treats which were surprising and delicious. Green Tea ice cream and a coffee jello! We even enjoyed some Japanese candies. An entire bag of lychee gummies were stolen by the three year olds and the theft was only discovered after said candies were all eaten and the wrappers were in a pile in front of the TV surrounded by 4 kids with very sticky faces.
Guest Rating: 9 (It was a great meal)
Antoine Rating: 9
Heidi Rating 9.5 (I love noodle soups!)
M's Rating: 9 (had a deconstructed meal of pork and noodles sans broth)
· 2-4 pieces dried kombu
· 1 cup soy sauce (shoyu)
· 4 tbsp. dry sake
· 2 Tbsp. mirin
Pork And Stock
3 lbs. boneless pork shoulder
1 1/2 lbs pork belly
2 Tbsp. vegetable oil2 lbs. chicken necks, backs, and/or wings
2 lbs. pork ribs
2 bunches scallions, chopped
1 1/2 cups of baby carrots
2 heads of garlic, halved horizontally
3 1” pieces ginger, peeled, sliced
1/2 cup bonito flakes
salt and freshly ground black pepper
Ramen And Garnishes
12 soft boiled and marinated eggs
ramen noodles
1 cup menma (fermented bamboo shoots)
2 bunches scallions, thinly sliced
6 toasted nori sheets, torn in half
Chili oil, toasted sesame oil, and shichimi togarashi (for serving)
Preparation:
Soak the kombu in 8 quarts of water and let sit at room temperature for 2 days.
Mix the soy sauce, mirin and sake and refrigerate for at least 2 days.
Sear the pork belly in a large pot with vegetable oil. Remove and set aside. Sear the pork shoulder in same pot. Remove and set aside. Return the pork belly to pot and add ribs, chicken, carrots, ginger, bonito flakes and cover with as much kombu water as will fit in the pot. Medium boil for 4 hours skimming the surface occasionally and adding more kombu water as the stock reduces. During the last 1.5 hours add the pork shoulder to the stock.Strain out the stock reserving only the pork shoulder, pork belly and broth. Discard everything else.
Chill overnight.
Next day, skim off any fat on the top of the stock. Heat a pot of water and cook noodles. In a separate pot heat up stock to boiling and add the soy sauce mixture.
Assemble bowls by placing large amount of noodles, slices of pork belly and pork shoulder in bowls, and covering them with hot broth. (The broth will heat up the chilled pork).
Garnish with soft boiled eggs, nori sheet, scallions, menma, sesame oil, and a dash of shichimi togarashi.
Wonderful meal with wonderful friends and kids. After our soups, we brought out the tasty dessert treats which were surprising and delicious. Green Tea ice cream and a coffee jello! We even enjoyed some Japanese candies. An entire bag of lychee gummies were stolen by the three year olds and the theft was only discovered after said candies were all eaten and the wrappers were in a pile in front of the TV surrounded by 4 kids with very sticky faces.Guest Rating: 9 (It was a great meal)
Antoine Rating: 9
Heidi Rating 9.5 (I love noodle soups!)
M's Rating: 9 (had a deconstructed meal of pork and noodles sans broth)
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