Shoyu Ramen

Japanese Ramen is one of my favourite dishes to make and eat!  It’s my go-to dish at Wagamamas and I’ve recently fallen in love with ramen-specialist restaurant Tonkotsu.  After I realised I couldn’t eat out every day, I decided to try my hand at homemade ramen.  Not the “just-add-water” packets you can buy from the supermarket but the proper stuff!

I began my research into ramen and how best to make an authentic broth.  The first thing I learnt: it takes DAYS to make ramen broth from scratch.  If you’re going to re-create it properly, you’ll need to be boiling bones for your broth quite some time before you even think about your other ingredients.  But let’s be honest – when you fancy ramen, you don’t want to wait two days to get it.  Does it have to be this way?

So, I started on my trial & error quest to make ramen tasty and quick.  Take a look at one of my first attempts:

I spent over a year trying out different recipes at home, learning which ingredients I liked… and which I didn’t!  I experimented with different broths (chicken and fish), meat marinades, various veggies and have even tested how hot I can handle it – verdict: 2 chillies.

Just as my body was about to explode with noodles, I cracked it.  A spicy, shoyu (meaning “soy”) broth which beautifully complements salmon, chicken and steak equally as well as each other.  With the seal of approval from family and friends, this recipe tastes just as delicious as your restaurant-favourite but takes a fraction of the time to make. 

Ingredients:

Choice of meat: 2 Chicken Breasts / 4 Chicken Thighs / 2 Salmon Fillets / 500g Lean Steak

Broth:

• 1 tsp Olive Oil
• 500ml Chicken Stock
• 6 tbsp Light Soy Sauce
• 3 Garlic Cloves (minced)
• 3cm Ginger (grated)
• 1 Chilli (diced)
• 1 tbsp Mirin
• 1 tbsp Hoisin Sauce
• 1 tsp Chinese Five Spice

Extras:

• 2 Eggs
• 300g Medium Egg Noodles
• 1 Carrot (cut into battons)
• 80g Tenderstem Broccoli
• 1 Pak Choi (sliced)
• 2 Spring Onions (sliced)
• 1 tbsp Sesame Seeds
• 2 tsp Sesame Oil

Chicken Marinade:

• 3 tbsp Soy Sauce
• 2 Garlic Cloves (minced)
• 2 tbsp Honey
• 1 tsp Fresh Coriander (chopped)

Salmon Marinade:

• 2 tbsp Soy Sauce
• 2 Garlic Cloves (minced)
• 1.5 tbsp Honey
• 1 tsp Coriander (chopped)
• 1 Chilli (diced)

Steak Marinade:

• 4 tbsp Soy Sauce
• 4 tbsp Balsamic Vinegar
• 3 Garlic Cloves (minced)
• 2 tbsp Honey
• 2cm Ginger (grated)

Method:

1.  In a bowl, stir together the marinade ingredients and add your choice of meat, making sure it is fully coated.  Cover the bowl with cling fling and pop in the fridge until you’re ready to cook.  If you do not have time to marinate your meat ahead of time, you can simply glaze the meat with the marinade just before cooking.  Top Tip: If you are using chicken or steak, marinate for up to 24 hours before cooking your ramen.  The longer the meat marinades for, the tastier it will be!  If you are using salmon, only marinade for 30 minutes before cooking. 

2.  Pre-heat your oven to 180 degrees C / Gas Mark 5.  Add your marinated meat to a baking tray and pop in the oven until cooked through, or according to the packet instructions. 

While your meat is in the oven, we will prepare the rest of the meal…

3.  Bring a pan of water to the boil and slowly add your eggs.  Reduce the water to a simmer and leave to cook for 6 minutes (for firm whites and runny yolks).  Once the eggs have cooked, remove from the pan and put them into an ice bath to stop the eggs from cooking further while they cool.  Set aside until you plate.  Top Tip: I recommend using room-temperature eggs, placing them on a spoon and dunking them in and out of the water 2-3 times before letting them sit in the pan.  This will allow them to acclimatise and help prevent the shells from splitting.  You can also add a splash of vinegar to the water if you have any available.

4.  While your eggs are boiling, toast your sesame seeds by either heating them in a frying pan (no oil) over a low-medium heat, or placing on a baking tray under a grill.  These will only take approximately 2 minutes to toast, so keep a close eye on them, stirring occasionally to ensure even toasting.

5.  Now for your broth!  Place a large pan over a medium heat and add your olive oil.  Once the oil has heated, add your garlic, ginger and chilli (including seeds for extra spice) to the pan and allow to fry for 1-2 minutes. 

6.  Add the remaining broth ingredients (chicken stock, soy sauce, mirin, hoisin sauce, Chinese 5 spice) and bring to the boil, before reducing to a simmer.  Stir well to ensure all ingredients are well mixed.

7.  To your broth, add your carrots and tenderstem broccoli, and leave to cook for 4-5 minutes.  Then add your pak choi, and allow to cook for a further 2 minutes. 

8.  While your vegetables are boiling in your broth, cook your noodles in a separate pan per packet instructions (dried noodles will typically need 6 minutes while fresh noodles will only need 2 minutes).  Top Tip: Cooking your noodles in a separate pan will prevent your broth from going cloudy, and will also prevent you from consuming the starch and fats that are released in the cooking process.   

9.  To plate, drain your noodles and divide them between two bowls.  Pour over the broth, evenly distributing the vegetables between the bowls, and drizzle over the sesame oil.  Take the meat from the oven and place on top of the noodles.  For chicken and steak, slice the meat into thin, diagonal strips before plating.  Carefully de-shell your eggs, slice in half (being careful not to spill the yolk) and place yolk-side-up into the bowls.  Sprinkle each bowl with sesame seeds and spring onion. 

There you have it, easy ramen at home!  I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as my friends and I do, and don’t forget to tag me in any images you share using the hashtag #HazelEyesBlog :-)