Ramen is one of my favorite foods of all time.  Ever since I’ve had the Spicy Miso Paitan in Totto Ramen, New York I’ve been fascinated by the umami of miso. Since it was too much work to make the authentic Tonkotsu (Pork Bone Broth called Paitan in Chinese) I went with a simpler chicken-based broth. While it can never stand up to the rich taste of the creamy Tonkotsu it definitely hit the spot. Though the list of ingredients seems to never end you can easily find these in any Asian grocery store. I recently went on a Korean frenzy and had a jar of Doenjang or Korean Soybean paste. I used this instead of the traditional miso. This has a much more umami flavor and gave a rich base to my broth. Instead of fresh noodles I used the egg noodles that I generally use for Chinese cooking. They were nice, chewy and paired well with the broth. Do try out this recipe and ITADAKIMASU!

Ingredients:

Dashi Stock:

Dried Anchovies                      10-12 (Gut removed)
Katsuobushi                              2 Tbsp (Dried Bonito Flakes)
Dried Kombu                            2-3” Square
Dried Shitake Mushrooms     6-7 pieces
Water                                          3 Cups

Miso Broth:

Doenjang Paste                         1 Tbsp
Chicken Stock                           ½ Cup
Garlic Powder                           1 Tbsp
Onion Flakes                             2 Tbsp
Bonito Flakes                            1 tsp
Mirin                                          1 Tbsp
Sake                                            1 Tbsp
Soy Sauce                                   2 tsp
Water                                          1 cup
Baby Bok Choy                          6 (Cut in half)
Dried Wakame Seaweed         1 Tbsp
Dried Shitake Mushrooms      3 Tbsp

Soy Garlic Chicken Breast:

Chicken Breast                         1
Soy Sauce                                 1 Tbsp
Mirin                                        2 tsp
Garlic Powder                           1 tsp
Pepper                                      1 tsp
Sesame Oil                               1 tsp

Soy Marinated Eggs:

Eggs                                          2 (Hard boiled)
Soy Sauce                                2 Tbsp
Cooking sake                           1 Tbsp
Rice Wine                                1 Tbsp

Toppings:

Bean Sprouts                                   ¼ cup
Naruto Maki                                    6 Slices
Soy Marinated Eggs                       2
Spring Onion                                   1 Tbsp Chopped
Soy Garlic Chicken Breast             2 Slices
Crispy Dried Shrimp in Chili Oil  1 tsp
Green Onions                                   2 chopped

Egg Noodles                             2 cakes

Method:

Soy Marinated Eggs:

In a zip locked bag mix the soy sauce, sake and rice wine. Add the eggs and remove as much air as possible to ensure that the eggs are completely submerged in the marinade. Store in refrigerator for atleast 24 hours.

Soy Garlic Chicken Breast:

Marinate a chicken breast in garlic powder, soy sauce, mirin, pepper and sesame oil for atleast 30 mins. Either grill on a frying pan or bake at 400F for 12 mins. Cut thin slices.

Dashi Stock:

In a saucepan, bring the water to boil. Add the anchovies, seaweed, shitake mushrooms and bonito flakes. Reduce by half. Strain to get a nice clear stock.

Miso Broth:

In a large saucepan, add the dashi stock, water and bring to boil. Lower the heat and add the soy sauce, sake, mirin, chicken stock, garlic powder, onion flakes and bonito flakes. Simmer for 10 mins. Add the Shitake mushrooms, baby bokchoy and seaweed. Bring to boil.

In a bowl, add a portion of cooked noodles, top off with the miso broth. Add bean sprouts, the soy marinated eggs (halved), chopped green onions, slices of naruto maki, slices of the grilled chicken and a spoon of the dried shrimp in chilli oil. Enjoy immediately lest the noodles get soggy.

Note:

• Naruto maki is a type of fish cake that is white with pink swirls. They look very pretty and taste good as well.
• Ramen goes best with soft boiled eggs. I’ve used hard boiled ones in mine because my sister does not really like soft boiled ones in her ramen.
• If you are making the broth beforehand, do not add the bokchoy. Add it to the broth just before serving and bring to boil.