Ramen Recipes

[stephle]

Yes, thanks to everyone for inspiring this great thread (and your continued sharing of knowledge and ideas in the pursuit of all things Japanese

As I said I would, I've started the 'Blame it on Gullet' thread. Would love to hear all the crazy things you've ever done because of a thread you read on eGullet (share the crazy LOL)

UPDATE: Doh! appears we've already got a similar thread so my thread got merged into the existing one

http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?showtopic=43403&st=100

Edited May 12, 2008 by stephle (log)

[mesona]

Hello everyone,

First time post.

I was so impressed at everyone's attempt to (re)create authentic ramen at home - and the pictures look absolutely fantastic. I too have tried to emulate my favourite haunt's shoyu/miso/tonkotsu/spicy hot pork ramen (Ryo's Noodle in Crows Nest, Sydney) by first marinating pork bones in soy and garlic, roasting the bones, then throwing it all in with chicken bones, veges and a piece of konbu - but as anyone who has been to Ryo's will attest, to achieve their depth of flavour seems an almost impossible task. I probably need to add some other pork parts, but I have neither the stamina nor the time to devote...

Anyway, to the real point of my post. I couldn't help but notice that despite the deliciously creamy coloured soup and noodles, the boiled eggs in the home made ramen bowls were of the... well... dry variety. Ryo's does this soy sauce egg which is one of the best I've had - with the yolk soft and just set (but very slightly gooey in the centre) and a good soy flavour (they are a little more set than the eggs in Hiroyuki's post of 12 April at Azumaya Honten).

After some experimentation, I think I've found a viable rendition of this egg - method as follows:-

(this recipe is based on Peter Gilmore's (of Quay) method for hard boiled eggs, published in the Sydney Morning Herald in 2006

accessible here.

Soy Sauce Egg

Ingredients:

- As many eggs as your cholesterol permits (have all fresh eggs at room temperature. I find 65g/70g (medium or large) eggs work well)

- soy sauce (Kikkoman works)

- water

- saucepan

Timing wise, these eggs can (and should) be done in advance, so you're not waiting for the egg while the ramen's getting cold. They keep well in the fridge for a couple of days, and you can just plonk them in the broth just prior to serving to give them a little bit of warmth.

1. Cover eggs in room temperature water and put over high heat to bring to the boil.

2. Once the water begins to boil, turn the stove down to low-medium to maintain a gentle boil of the eggs for ONE MINUTE exactly.

3. After the minute, take the saucepan off the stove and leave on a cool surface for about an hour (the eggs will continue to cook through the water's residual heat).

4. Once the eggs are back to room temperature, carefully peel eggs and cut in half. The yolks should be just set and creamy in the middle.

5. Using the same saucepan to minimise cleaning up, add around 4 parts room temperature water to one part soy sauce and soak the halved eggs in this mixture until the whites have a nice light brown colour. I usually soak for about an hour.

(Note: I haven't really got accurate measurements for this, so this is open to experimentation - but note that you can't use undiluted soy sauce as it will eat away and dissolve the egg white).

6. Serve with ramen.

(Notes: for step 1, Peter Gilmore's method calls for putting in the eggs once the water is boiling - I've tried both methods and they both seem to work well, but I put in the eggs earlier to prevent cracking, as my eggs are usually in the fridge. For step 2 - I use an electric stove, so usually reduce the heat setting a little earlier to prevent out-of-control violent boiling.)

Sorry for the wordy post, but for those who still have the wherewithal to make their own ramen, or who just want a tasty egg, try replacing your usual hard boiled egg with one cooked by this method, and let me know how it goes. I've never gone back to the dry sulfuric-ringged hard boiled egg after learning this method.

[Hiroyuki]

Hi, mesona. I'm not sure what your boiled eggs look like, but have you checked out this post of mine? Are my eggs

similar to yours?

[mesona]

Hi Hiroyuki,

Sorry, I didn't see that post - stumbled on this blog looking for ramen recipes and not egg recipes! Your eggs look awesome - but mine are slightly different; my yolks are not liquid at all (imagine the edges of the yolks in your pic (the just set bit) all the way through, so the whole yolk is bright orange and gelatinous, without losing any yolk when you cut it through. There is perhaps only a dot in the centre which is liquid).

I've got a picture somewhere, I'll dig it out and post it...

[mesona]

Oh, one more thing - because the yolks are essentially solid after cooking, you can soak the eggs in soy after cutting the eggs in half - allows the soy flavour to get through to the centre a little quicker...

Personal taste, of course, on how you like your eggs - but either way, better than solid yellow dryness!

[mesona]

A picture of how the eggs generally turn out - sorry about the broken eggs, I went a bit crazy when cracking the shells

[Hiroyuki]

The other day, my father took us (my children and me) to Korakuen, a ramen chain. My daugher had shio ramen (390 yen), and my son had miso ramen (390 yen).

They shared one plate of gyoza (180 yen).

I had hiyashi chuka (490 yen) and gyoza.

My father had wafu (Japanese-style) tsuke men and gyoza (no photo).

Not the greatest ramen shop for ramen lovers, but a good one for families.

[Kleatius]

I wonder if there are any good recipes in Japanese cookbooks out there? Maybe something like this one:

http://www.amazon.com/Morimoto-New-Art-Jap...ie=UTF8&s=books

If you look through the index section some of the broths are listed. Would be great to have a detailed explanation of how to make ramen. Toronto sadly lacks any good ramen shops .

[Kleatius]

OK, so I decided to give this a shot. I've never made any japanese food, so ramen seemed like a logical place to start...

First I scoured the internet to glean as much as I could. As has been noted many times in this thread there aren't really any detailed ramen recipes out there that seem authentic. Here's my shoyu version based on tidbits taken from 5-6 different websites and whatever I felt like.

First I made some chicken stock.

About an hour in I found some shiitake mushroom in the cupboard so I soaked them and threw the water in the pot as well. I continued to big simmer / small boil for 2.5 hours in total.

In the meantime I made a liter of dashi stock using Tsuji's A Simple Art for the first time.

Also while the stock was boiling I made some pork with soy. mirin and white wine to add to the ramen. This part was probably the least authentic, but it still tasted good!

I briefly fried the pork slices to get some initial browning and then added the rest of the ingredients and simmered for 45-60 mins.

After I started the pork simmering I realized I was out of soy sauce so I ran off the the store to fill up.

Upon returning I threw some noodles on to boil. When I went to the grocery store last night I was totally overwhelmed by the amount of noodle available and had no idea what kind to use. Some chinese guy working in the aisle saw my confused expression and helped me out. I don't think the noodle he recommended was the same as what I've had in ramen shops, but it was still pretty good. He claimed that these noodles would 'make me strong'. I think he was right.

When the noodles were al dente I took them off the heat. I then took a table bowl and added some chicken stock, dashi, soy and mirin (didn't have any sake).

I added my noodle and threw in a boiled egg, some bean sprout, the pork and 3 pieces nori. Voila.

Conclusion?

Delicious!!! This was pretty close to the shoyu ramen I had in Vancouver and have been unable to find in Toronto.

Any feedback is appreciated!

Edited September 13, 2008 by Kleatius (log)

[helenjp]

The noodles you have there are Chinese Shandong-style la-mien. Japanese ramen noodles are more or less based on them, but modern ramen don't look or taste quite the same.

Looks like a good meal!

When you say, "detailed instructions on making ramen", do you mean the actual noodles? This is a hassle, because of the use of kansui (highly alkaline water). I can give you instructions for making noodles without kansui (people don't use it at home), though it's been years since I last made my own ramen noodles.

The broth recipe I use is way back on page 1 of this topic, there's a link on page 2 to a RecipeGullet recipe for ramen uploaded by Hiroyuki.

I'll add some details on making the "gu" or topping ingredients.

[helenjp]

Notes:

Japanese "jun-kyou-riki" flour has an ideal protein content of about 11.5%

If you don't use kansui: add 1 tsp liquid nigari if possible, or use natural rock salt rather than regular salt, add 1 tsp baking soda, and also use a whole egg (eggwhite is somewhat alkaline) rather than yolks only.

High-protein flour will create a chewier, springier noodle, but the dough is harder to handle. Start with the proportions given in the recipe, and switch to 400g strong/ 100 g weak flour as you gain experience.

Don't overdo the initial kneading - when the dough is stretchy and holds together, stop (about 5 minutes of kneading). f the dough starts to break up (especially when using kansui or other alkaline ingredients) STOP and let dough rest, covered, for 20 minutes.

Salt and minerals also make the dough a little harder to handle - start with 1-3 pinches of salt.

Ramen Noodle Dough

300 g strong (high-protein) flour

200 g weak (low-protein)

1 egg (approx. 50 g in the shell) or 2 egg yolks

200 ml water (you probably won't use all this)

If you want, dissolve 1 tsp powdered kansui/1 tab liquid kansui in the water.

Up to 1 tsp salt, optional, also dissolved in the water

Cornstarch, potato starch etc for handling dough.

Mix flours together on a large board, make a well in the middle, and add the lightly beaten egg.

Start adding water, and mix the flour in. Start kneading when it forms a mass.

Knead till you can stretch a piece of dough. Place the mass of dough in a plastic bag, allow to rest at least 2 hours. If you want to, you can place the bag on the floor and walk all over it for a bit.

Roll out, using starch to avoid sticking when needed. This requires more care than for other noodle doughs - to get maximum "squeak", you need to roll the dough in one direction only. So if you plan to use a pasta machine, keep this in mind.

Cut noodles (no more than 3 mm wide), cutting in the same direction that you rolled the noodles.

Sprinkle starch over, and divide noodles into about 5 bundles. Using plenty of starch, gently "squeeze" noodles into a ball. This will crimp the noodles.

Set aside on a tray until needed, shake off loose starch before scattering into boiling water to cook. Some people swear that they improve if they are kept (covered or in a bag) in the fridge for up to 2 days before using, but in any case, use within 1 week.

[shinju]

The  noodles you have there are Chinese Shandong-style la-mien. Japanese ramen noodles are more or less based on them, but modern ramen don't look or taste quite the same.

Looks like a good meal!

When you say, "detailed instructions on making ramen", do you mean the actual noodles? This is a hassle, because of the use of kansui (highly alkaline water). I can give you instructions for making noodles without kansui (people don't use it at home), though it's been years since I last made my own ramen noodles.

The broth recipe I use is way back on page 1 of this topic, there's a link on page 2 to a RecipeGullet recipe for ramen uploaded by Hiroyuki.

I'll add some details on making the "gu" or topping ingredients.

←

Helen, I appreciate you providing a recipe you have actually used to make ramen noodle. Were you happy with your results? I ask this question because although soba is certainly much better when homemade (at least to me), I don't necessarily find homemade spaghetti or udon any better than those available commercially. But, I am very interested in trying my hand in making ramen because it's not easy finding quality ramen noodle here in the US that I like.

[nakji]

The other day, my father took us (my children and me) to Korakuen, a ramen chain. My daugher had shio ramen (390 yen), and my son had miso ramen (390 yen).

390 YEN!!!!!!!!!

Were these child portions?

I have to get out of the city.

[Hiroyuki]

The other day, my father took us (my children and me) to Korakuen, a ramen chain. My daugher had shio ramen (390 yen), and my son had miso ramen (390 yen).

390 YEN!!!!!!!!!

Were these child portions?

I have to get out of the city.

←

At Korakuen, they offer ramen, which they call "chuuka soba", at 290 yen (304 yen including 5% consumption tax) per bowl.

[torakris]

390 is cheap for ramen but not unheard of. My husband and I used to often get the 390 ramen at Bamiyan (cheap Chinese chain restaurant). While it isn't the best ramen I have ever had it is very good for the price. Miso ramen will set you back 440 yen and my favorite sesame-miso tantan men (with a spicy ground meat topping) is 590 yen.

Here is their menu (for Eastern, Northern Japan)

To see the ramen click on the 麺、飯、粥 (noodles, rice, congee) link on the left of the screen and scroll down.

I haven't been to Bamiyan for some time now and was interested to see that some stores offer a breakfast in the 400-500 yen range, not half bad.

Click on the morning (＜モーニング＞) link on the left side so see the offerings, including ramen for breakfast!

[Ce'nedra]

A video to making ramen (in English! YAY!)

http://au.youtube.com/watch?v=-wa0umYJVGg

(serves 2)

- Yakibuta -

500g Pork Ribs (17.6 oz)

Green Part of Welsh Onion

A Small Piece of Ginger

4 tbsp Soy Sauce

2 tbsp Sake

1 tbsp Brown Sugar

** Boil down the pork ribs soup until the volume is less than 300cc (1 1/4 u.s. cups).

- Seasoned Soft-Boiled Eggs -

2 Eggs (65g-70g/2.29oz-2.47oz)

1 tbsp Soy Sauce

1 tbsp Sake

1 tbsp Mirin

** Season the eggs for several hours at a room temperature or keep them in a fridge overnight.

- Toppings -

12cm White Part of Welsh Onion (5 inch)

80g Spinach (2.82oz)

Narutomaki - Cylindrical Kamaboko

Menma - Condiment Made from Dried Bamboo Shoots

Toasted Nori

- Dashi Stock -

1200ml Water (5.07 u.s. cup)

10g Dried Sardines (0.353 oz)

10x5cm Dried Kombu Kelp (4x2 inch)

2 Bags of Raw Ramen Noodles

2 tsp Chicken Stock

[markemorse]

I'm interested to know more about the fish stock-based ramen stock.  I've made fish stocks using bonito and such for Japanese cooking, but I wonder how similar or different for fish stock for ramen.  I'm assuming that more ingredients are added and longer cooking time is required to get the rich, thick, complex favor and texture of a ramen stock.  Also, do people combine more pork based stock with fish stock or the pork stock would overpower the fish stock?

The tonkotsu recipes look quite intriguing.  I think I'll try those recipes too.

←

I'd like to bump this back up into visibility...

I'm making tonkotsu ramen today/tomorrow and right now (after 6 hours of boiling) I have about 6 liters of pork bone stock that is...good, but not especially complex. I think that adding some dashi stock to the pork stock will probably solve my problem, but i have no idea what ratio might be reasonably authentic. I'm thinking about something like 4 parts pork stock to one part dashi stock. Maybe 3:1. Any suggestions?

[Ce'nedra]

Does anyone know what in the world is that 'rock' thing in this tsukemen video?

It starts to sizzle/bubble when it comes into contact with the soup!

[cats2]

Does anyone know what in the world is that 'rock' thing in this tsukemen video?

It starts to sizzle/bubble when it comes into contact with the soup!

←

It's a rock to keep the soup hot. See this blog post.

[Ce'nedra]

Does anyone know what in the world is that 'rock' thing in this tsukemen video?

It starts to sizzle/bubble when it comes into contact with the soup!

←

It's a rock to keep the soup hot. See this blog post.

←

So the rock is in fact...a rock!

Thanks for filling me in. It's really fascinating that someone could think of such an idea to seal in the heat of the ramen. I wonder why it must be thrown in when you're almost done with the ramen?

And what kind of rock is it?

[Hiroyuki]

From what I have learned from other sites, after you have finished the noodles, you first have your bowl of soup mixed with additional dashi (which is called "soup wari (mixing)" at that ramen shop) and then you put that hot stone in your bowl, so that you can reheat the soup before finishing it off.

What kind of stone it is I can't determine, but let me tell you that such a yaki ishi (grilled stone) is not an invention of that ramen shop. There is a type of nabe (one-pot dish), in which such a stone is used for heating.

[powerplantop]

Tonkotsu Ramen that I made. The broth / soup was made by boiling pig feet for several hours. Served with slices of boiled / seasoned pork, green onion and spicy miso.

[prasantrin]

Is that. . .spaghetti in there? If so, I think that would be tonkotsu spaghetti.

The broth looks rich and milky. How did it taste?

[powerplantop]

Is that. . .spaghetti in there?

Yeah, I spent hours making the broth then put in spaghetti.

[Hiroyuki]

Powerplantop: Your tonkotsu ramen looks delicious, not at all greasy like many tokotsu ramen served at ramen shops in Japan.

One thing I want to point out is that the noodles in your photo are not ramen noodles but udon noodles. Do you prefer udon to ramen noodles?