Cold Weather, Hot Noodle Bowl
I have yet to find the wherewithal to create my own ramen tare (flavor base) from scratch. I don’t dream of blanching and boiling pig bones on my stove for 12-18 hours for tonkotsu broth, and since I’m fresh out of Japanese kelp, I’m not making dashi (stock) anytime soon.
As it stands, I don’t need to. Our cheese shop has multiple ramen bases that are incredibly delicious, as well a fantastic Japanese pantry. (A key note, you don’t HAVE to use ramen noodles. You’re welcome to use linguine, udon, and we carry multiple types of gluten free noodles as well.)
This noodle bowl recipe is flexible, with nearly unlimited combinations. You can add other proteins or vegetables if you’d like or omit those that don’t appeal to you.
The one thing I love about ramen and noodle dishes in general is their versatility and infinitely customizable combinations to suit every season, taste, and diet.
I included lots of different items from the shop that I’m really excited about, that I’ve been recently obsessed with.
One of those is a fantastic sea kelp kimchi that I buy a jar of practically every single week. Another is a chili crisp from Masienda--I've gone through a jar of every variety. We carry nearly all of these items in the shop, making it super easy to put this dish together.
As much as I love ordering take out, there is something incredibly special about putting a dish like this together yourself to share with someone. I hope you enjoy!
(Serves 2)
Ingredients:
1 (17oz) jar of (the aptly named) Professional Ramen Base, flavor of your choice
1 (250g) package of Ramen noodles, or noodles of your choice
2 eggs
2 oz dried porcini mushrooms
¼ cup SeaChi Kimchi
1 tablespoon of Masienda chili crisp
1 tablespoon Regalis Japanese Nori Butter (added richness if wanted, I highly recommend)
Radish for garnish (optional)
Sesame seeds for garnish (optional)
Step One: Soak + Fry the Mushrooms
Place dried mushrooms in a bowl of hot water for 30 minutes. Drain well, blotting with paper towels. Heat two tablespoons oil in a skillet over medium heat. Sear mushrooms until browned, 4-5 minutes.
Step 2: Cook Jammy Eggs.
Bring a medium pot of water to a boil. Carefully add eggs one at a time and boil gently for 6-7 minutes. (Egg yolks should be shiny yellow and almost jammy; egg white should be just set.) Transfer to a bowl of ice water to stop cooking; let cool. Peel and set aside.
Step 3: Cook your Noodles
Cook noodles in a large pot of boiling water according to package directions for al dente; drain (no need to salt the water, as ramen noodles contain more salt than pasta). Set cooked noodles aside.
Step 4: Heat Broth and Assemble!
When ready to serve, bring ramen broth to a simmer; it should be very hot. Just before serving, place noodles in a deep bowl, or divide into two, if sharing. Slowly ladle hot broth over noodles. Add your nori butter to your bowls. Top your noodles with your jammy eggs, kimchi, nori sheets, crispy mushrooms, scallions, radish, and chili oil.
Stay Warm!