December 15, 2020, 5:27 am | Read time: 3 minutes
Bringing a taste of Japan into your living room isn’t just about sushi; it’s also about another specialty of the country: ramen. While the cooking time for the soup is a bit longer, it’s still shorter than a flight to Japan. We present a recipe that anyone can master.
Take note: Ramen refers to both a type of noodle and the accompanying soup. The perfect ramen consists of four components: soup, noodles, sauce, and toppings. Toppings can include meat, bean sprouts, bamboo shoots, seafood, sesame, vegetables, and, of course, egg.
Originally, ramen comes from China, but the Japanese have developed it further and made it their national dish. In 2005, Japanese astronaut Soichi Noguchi even took a portion into space.
The secret to good ramen lies in cooking the base, the soup, for a long time. The broth should simmer for at least two hours—the longer, the better. If you want ramen on the table in the evening, you need to start planning by midday. For an authentic experience, use two chopsticks while loudly slurping the soup. That’s how it’s done in Japan, where they swear that the air you draw in while slurping perfectly combines with the noodles.
Find more world cuisine recipes on the corresponding TRAVELBOOK overview page
Recipe for Japanese Ramen
Ingredients (for 2 people):
- 1 leek stalk
- 2 onions
- 200 grams of mushrooms
- 70 grams of ginger
- 2 kg of beef bones
- 1 chili pepper
- 1 carrot
- 4-5 garlic cloves
- 75 ml Hon Mirin (cooking rice wine)
- 3 tbsp fish sauce
- 1 tbsp rice vinegar
- 5 tbsp soy sauce
- Green onions
- Tofu (or another topping of choice)
- Ramen noodles
- 2 eggs
Also interesting: Recipe for juicy Japan burgers
Preparation
- Cut ginger, onions, and leek in half. Crush the garlic and remove the stems from the mushrooms.
- Heat sesame oil in a pot and place leek, ginger, and onions at the bottom to roast them. Cook until the underside touching the pot is brown. Then add the crushed garlic cloves to the pot. After a few minutes, add three liters of warm water and let the broth simmer. After a few minutes, add the beef bones and mushrooms. Then cut a carrot and add it to the pot. The broth should simmer for at least two hours.
- After an hour, stir Hon Mirin and fish sauce into the broth.
- Chop green onions and chili, and dice the tofu.
- Mix soy sauce into the broth.
- Boil eggs for 6.5 minutes and then rinse with cold water.
- Cook ramen noodles.
- Remove the mushrooms from the broth to use as a topping. Then peel the eggs.
- Pour the broth into another pot using a sieve to leave only a clear soup.
- Add tofu to the soup and cook for five minutes.
- Place noodles with the soup in a bowl. Then garnish with a halved egg, green onions, and mushrooms. Enjoy your meal!