Ramen is the reason I live. My sister and I have scoured cities near and far to find the absolute best ramen in the world. I wanted to make it at home, and to be honest it’s quite an undertaking. Some of the best ramen restaurants, including Momofuku in New York City, spend days making their ramen broth, and use dozens of ingredients to do so. This recipe is approachable and manageable for a weekend dinner or a fun dinner party. It is by no means “the real deal”. If you’re looking for ultra traditional, see the Momofuku recipe here. The sky is the limit when it comes to your toppings. Here I’ve used pork belly, a soft egg, cabbage, and mushrooms. Seaweed, bamboo shoots (look for a menma recipe), and shrimp cakes are all popular as well. It can be a great activity for a dinner party- supply all of the ingredients and have everyone make their own ramen bowls.
Ramen Noodle Bowl
Makes: 4 servings
Prep Time: 20 minutes Cooking Time: 40 minutes Total Time: 1 hour
Ingredients:
1 white onion, small dice
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp fresh ginger, minced
6 oz salt pork belly (salt pork)
2 cups shitake mushrooms, sliced
1 tbs Sriracha hot sauce
1 tbs soy sauce
2 tsp rice wine vinegar
2 tbs hoison sauce
32 oz chicken stock
2 cups Napa cabbage or bok choy, small dice
4 eggs
1 box udon noodles
Directions:
- Heat a large soup pot over medium heat. Add a drizzle of vegetable oil and add the onion, garlic, ginger, pork belly, and mushrooms. Saute for 7 minutes, turning the pork belly occasionally to brown all the sides.
- Add the Sriracha, soy sauce, vinegar, and chicken stock to the pot. Cover and simmer on medium heat, or a low simmer, for 30 minutes.
- While the broth is cooking, heat a second pot with hot water to boil the noodles. Cook according to package directions for al dente. When the noodles have finished cooking, remove them from the hot water and rinse with cold water to stop them from further cooking. Reserve the hot water to poach the eggs.
- Bring the water from the noodles to just below a simmer. Add the eggs one at a time to poach them. Gently remove with a slotted spoon and set on a plate until you are ready to use.
- Remove the salt pork from the broth and slice it into bite-sized pieces.
- Assemble each bowl by placing a quarter of the noodles in the bottom. Add the Napa cabbage, sliced pork belly, and poached egg to each bowl. Top with a ladle or two of hot broth and mushrooms.
Cooking In Red Socks 