Ramen

This started out with “I have a ton of pork belly- what can I do with it” and turned into, well, something of an undertaking. Apparently Ramen, and a lot of eastern soup dishes, pride themselves on the purity of their broth. Unlike a western soup, where we essentially throw everything in a pot, cook it together and declare it soup, with Ramen, the elements are cooked separately so as not to cloud or taint the broth. This results in a lot of steps. Nothing in this recipe is hard, but it definitely not simple cooking. There are a significant number of steps, it takes several days to arrive at the finished product and it makes a lot of dishes. Have I convinced you yet?

Multitude of steps aside, the end result really was spectacular. And given that many of you do not have access to great Ramen restaurants where you can have delicious Ramen delivered to you in an instant, I thought I would share. Undertake this project on a weekend and I hope you enjoy the process like I did!

If you are not familiar with mirin it is a rice cooking wine that is available online and asian food stores. You could substitute sake if you can’t find it. Miso is a soybean paste, that comes in two main types: red and white. Both can be found online or at an asian cooking store. Miso is harder to substitute.

My instructions call for straining the various elements through a fine meshed strainer. If you have cheesecloth and want your broth to be incredibly “pure”, it is best to layer your strainer with the cheesecloth and strain.

Ramen

Fine Cooking Magazine, Feb/Mar 2018 Issue

For the pork and pork broth:
1 lb pork belly, preferably skin on
4 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
2 large scallions, trimmed and cut into 4 pieces each
1 1-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and cut into 4 slices

For the Marinade:
2 cups soy sauce
1/2 cup mirin
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup honey
2 Tbsp white miso (shiro)

For the marinated eggs:
4 large eggs, at room temperature
1 cup reserved pork marinade

For the ramen broth:
reserved pork broth
5 cups chicken broth
8 cloves garlic, peeled and crished
1 2-inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled and cut into 5 slices
reserved pork marinade, to taste
kosher salt and freshly ground white pepper

For serving:
20 oz fresh or frozen ramen noodles, or 14 oz. dried
reserved pork marinate, to taste
reserved pork fat
4 medium scallions, trimmed and thinly sliced
2 sheets roasted nori, cut into small (2×3 inch) rectangles

Make the pork and pork broth:
Tie the pork at 1/2 inch intervals with kitchen twine. Put the pork in a large pot, cover with water and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Cook for 15 minutes. Remove the pork, drain the water and wipe the pot clean.

Return the pork to the pot. Add the garlic, scallions, ginger, and just enough water to cover, about 6 1/2 cups. Bring the mixture to a boil, reduce the heat to medium low, and cook partially covered, turning the pork halfway through, until the pork is fork-tender, 1-1/2 to 2 hours. Let the pork cool in the broth.

Remove the pork and strain the broth through a small-meshed strainer into a large bowl. Discard the vegetables. Cover the broth and refrigerate for at least 8 hours or up to 2 days.

Marinate the pork:
In a large pot, combine the cooked pork, soy sauce, mirin, sugar, honey, miso, and just enough water to cover the pork, about 2 1/2 cups. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer, uncovered, for 1 hour, stirring and turning the pork occasionally. Let the pork cool in the marinade. When the pork is cool, remove it from the marinade, wrap it in plastic, and refrigerate for at least 8 hours or up to 2 days. Strain the marinade through a small-meshed strainer set over a medium bowl; discard the solids. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use. (You should have about 2 1/3 cups)

Marinate the eggs:
Fill a medium saucepan two-thirds full with water and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to maintain a gentle simmer. Fill a medium bowl with ice water. Prick the wide end of the egg’s shells with a pin. Using a slotted spoon, gently lower the eggs into the pan and cook for 6 minutes. Transfer the eggs to the ice water and let cool completely. Peel the eggs and transfer to a ziplock bag, add the 1 cup reserved marinade, seal, and refrigerate for at least 8 hours or up to 2 days.

Make the ramen broth:
Skim and reserve any fat from the pork broth, then pour it into a large pot. Add the chicken broth, garlic and ginger. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer uncovered for 20 minutes, occasionally skimming off the foam. Strain the broth through a small-meshed strainer into a medium bowl; discard the solids. Add the reserved marinade to taste (1/4 to 1/2 cup), then season to taste with salt and pepper. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.

Serve the ramen:
Bring the pork and eggs to room temperature.

Position a rack in the upper third of the oven and heat the broiler on high. Remove the twine from the pork, and transfer it to a foil-lined rimmed baking sheet. Broil, flipping once, until lightly charred on both sides, about 5 minutes total. Let the meat cool then but into bite-size pieces and set aside.

Meanwhile, bring the ramen broth to a boil in a large pot, remove from the heat, and cover to keep warm. Fill a large pot with water and bring to a boil. Add the ramen noodles and cook according to the package directions, until firm yet chewy. Drain and set aside. Pour 1-2 Tbsp of the reserved marinade an 1 tsp of the reserved pork fat, if desired, in each of the 4 serving bowls. Add the ramen noodles and ramen broth into each bowl and top with the pork pieces (including some of the fat), scallions, and 2 nori strips. Cut the eggs in half lengthwise and arrange yolk side up in each bowl.