Spicy Miso Ramen

 

This morning I woke up with a crave for something salty, spicy, and flavorful; and you know what came in mind? Spicy Miso Ramen... yum! I mean, who can ever resist a bowl of this goodness? Unfortunately, I did not have that extra time & patience to make the broth just like they do in Japan, so I adapted a little bit of my own version and call it 'express' ramen. I gotta say, I'm quite satisfied with the result! If you would like to give it a try, feel free to do it.

 

 

Ingredients:

 

SPICY MISO PASTE:

- 1/2cup of white miso paste

- 1/2cup of red miso paste

- 1/3cup of sichuan douban chili paste

- 1 small onion, cut into chunks

- 6 cloves of garlic, smashed

- 2" of ginger, cut into chunks

- 3 tbsp of mirin (Japanese sweet rice wine)

- 2 tbsp vegetable oil

- 1 tbsp toasted sesame oil

- 1 tbsp dashi granules

- 2 tsp of sesame paste (if Asian brands are unavailable, use tahini)

 

 SHOYU SOFT-BOILED EGGS:

- 4 large free-range eggs

- 3tbsp soy sauce

- 2 tbsp dark brown sugar

- 1tbsp water

 

GARLIC AND TOGARASHI OI:

- 2 small shallots, finely minced

- 2 cloves of garlic, finely minced

- 1/2 tsp sesame seeds

- 1/4cup vegetable oil

- 2 1/2 tbsp Japanese seven spice (shichimi togarashi)

 

1. TO MAKE THE SPICY MISO PASTE:

Combine all of the ingredients in a blender and blend until smoothly pureed. You may need to stop and scrape the blender a few times to get it going in the beginning. Transfer the mixture into a pot and set over medium heat. Bring to a low simmer and keep cooking/stirring for another 5 min. Let it cool completely and store in an air-tight container in the fridge until needed.

 

2. TO MAKE THE SHOYU SOFT-BOILED EGGS:

Gently place the eggs in a small pot and fill it with water until the eggs are covered by 1" and bring the water to a bare simmer on medium-high heat, then immediately lower the heat down to low (only enough heat to keep it at a bare simmer/or if you want to be anal, 212ºF/100ºC). The second the water reached the right temperature, set the timer at 4:30 min. Gently move the eggs around a few times during cooking. Once the timer goes off, immediately transfer the eggs into cold water and leave them to cool completely. Combine soy sauce, dark brown sugar and water in a small sauce pot. Warm up the mixture just enough to melt the sugar, then set aside. Peel the eggs then submerge them in the soy sauce-mixture. Turning them occasionally while marinating for 2~3 hours.

 

3. TO MAKE THE GARLIC & TOGARASHI OIL:

  Combine minced shallots, minced garlic, sesame seeds, salt and vegetable oil in a small pot and set over low heat. Slowly cook/stir until the garlics are crispy and lightly browned, approx 5~6 min. Turn off the heat and add the Japanese chili powder/togarashi. Give the mixture a stir and let it sit for a few hours or overnight.

 

 

Ingredients for Spicy Miso Ramen:

- 7.7ounces (220 grams) of fatty ground pork

- 1 tbsp toasted sesame oil

- 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper

- 1 tbsp dried shitake mushrooms

- 2 cups of unsalted chicken or pork stock

- 1 cup of unsweetened, unflavoured soy milk (Asian brands preferred but if unavailable, American brands is ok, too)

- 1/2cup + 1/4 cup of spicy miso paste

- 2 servings of fresh ramen noodles

- 4 tbsp finely diced scallions

- 1 sheet of nori/Japanese sushi seaweed, cut into rectangular sheets

Directions:

1.  Rinse the dried shitake mushrooms to get rid of any sand/dirt. Finely chop them and set aside (without soaking). In a large soup pot, heat up 1 tbsp of toasted sesame oil on high heat and start browning the fatty ground pork with ground black pepper. Once the pork has broken up, browned, and released its fat, add 1/4 cup of the spicy miso paste and cook for another min until fragrant. Add the chopped shitake, unsalted stock and unsweetened soy milk and bring to a simmer. Place 1/2 cup spicy miso paste on top of a very fine sieve. Lower the sieve half-way into the simmering soup and use a spoon to slowly dissolve the paste into the soup (it may seem very thick and troublesome in the beginning but be patient, it’ll dissolve eventually). You’d be surprised at how much “solids” within the paste will remain on top of the sieve, which if dumped directly into the soup, will make the soup very thick and “sauce-like”.

 

2. Discard the “solids” in the sieve and let the soup simmer for another 5 min. If the soup tastes quite salty at this point, that is correct. It’s Japanese ramen… It is salty. Cook the fresh ramen noodles according to package instructions, and drain well. Divide the noodles into two large bowl and ladle the soup on top (you may have a bit more than needed). For each serving, place 1 shoyu egg (cut into half), 2 tbsp of finely diced scallions, 3 rectangular nori sheets, and 2 tsp of garlic and togarashi oil. Slurp away!