Easy Ramen

When I read a  ramen recipe, the foremost feeling is dread. The lengthy boil, the many additions, the preciseness of a particularly cooked egg...all the steps makes me quaver...everytime. Then I know my son does love his ramen. His trip to Japan has solidified that love. Pandemic problems have discouraged restaurant dining, hence this attempt. I aim to please him.

I start with homemade chicken broth, chicken cooked with peppercorns and leek greens. To that I add mushroom powder, ginger slices, scallions and a charred onion. The broth bubbles away, after which it is strained. The addition of white miso and shoyu round out that umami flavor. 

The toppings consist are chicken sauteed with oyster sauce and chili garlic paste. Scallion greens are finely chopped. Eggs are boiled. The crowning glory is a chile, garlic sesame seed sauce, the spicy condiment that takes it over the edge. 

EASY RAMEN

Serves 5-6

1/2 pound chicken thighs

1 Leek

1 teaspoon Peppercorns

1 tablespoon Mushroom Powder

6-7 Ginger slices

5 Scallions

1 Onion

4 tablespoons White Miso Paste

4 tablespoons Shoyu or Light Soy Sauce

3-4 cups cooked Noodles 

3 Eggs

3 teaspoons Oyster Sauce

2 teaspoons Chile Garlic Paste

1 teaspoon Soy Sauce

3 tablespoon Canola Oil

5 Garlic cloves

1 tablespoon Sesame Seeds

1 teaspoon Chile Powder

2 teaspoons Roasted Sesame Oil

Place chicken in large saucepan. 

Add 5 cups water to chicken. 

Cut leek into large chunks and add to chicken.

Add peppercorns in and bring the water to a boil. Lower flame and allow chicken to simmer for 1 hour. Skim the surface to remove any scum that forms. 

Take the chicken out of the broth. Cool and then shred into small chunks. Keep aside for the topping.

Trim scallion roots, Cut the white parts into 1" pieces. Save the greens for the topping.

Peel onion. Hold the onion over and open flame till the outsides are charred.

Add mushroom powder to broth.

Add ginger, scallion whites and onion to broth. Simmer for 1/2 hour. Top up the broth with more water if needed.

Drain the broth into a clean saucepan. Place saucepan over a medium flame and add miso and shoyu to broth. Simmer broth for 15 minutes.

Assemble the toppings. 

Chicken--Heat 2 tablespoons canola oil in a saucepan. Add shredded chicken to the pan along with oyster sauce, chile garlic paste and soy sauce. Saute for 5 minutes till slightly browned.

Eggs--Boil eggs for 8 minutes. Cover with cold water for 15 minutes. Peel and cut the eggs in half.

Scallions--Cut scallion greens finely.

Garlic Sesame Sauce--Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a small saucepan. Mince garlic fine and add to oil. Cook till garlic is fragrant and light brown. Then ass sesame seeds and chile powder. Swirl the pan a couple of times and take off the heat. Scrape the sauce into bowl. Add sesame oil to sauce. 

Heat the broth till bubbling. 

Run the noodles through hot water. Divide the noodles and place them in the soup bowls. 

Spoon a portion of the chicken over the noodles. 

Next to the chicken add scallion greens.

Place the egg half on the other side of the chicken. 

Pour several ladlefuls of ramen broth over noodles, to the level of the noodles.

Drizzle garlic sesame sauce between the egg and the scallions. 

Serve the ramen piping hot.

Spoon in one hand and chopsticks in the other, Rehan has a few comments. The ramen isn't as salty as the ones he has eaten in the past. The noodles are not quite the right ones, But then he slurps his way to the bottom of the bowl...that's enough of a compliment for me!

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