Food for thought: Japanese Ramen Noodles

Ramen Noodles is easy to make and delicious. I love my noodles medium soft and chewy. I normally make the broth or soup a day early since I cook the broth for hours. It is tastier and more flavorful that way. I either use chicken broth or pork. I make 2-3 big jars of broth and keep then in the fridge for future use. It can store in the fridge up to 2 weeks.

I use chicken thighs or pork neckbones for the the broth. Three things that are very important and good practice when preparing the meat for soup:

1. Wash and soak the meat in cold water for an hour to remove blood and fats.
2. Pre-boil for about 5 minutes to remove all those excess fats and unwanted floaters.
3. Throw away the water and wash the meat again with cold water.

Now, you’re ready to make your broth. For chicken, boil for 2 hours and the pork, for 3-4 hours. Aside from the bone meat, you may add some chicken breasts or pork shoulder meat if you want to add meat on your ramen. Just boil them for and hour and set aside. After boiling, strain the broth and keep them on glass jars.

For the noodles, in a pot bring water to a boil and cook noodles for about 5-6 minutes, strain and run cold water on noodles to avoid over cooking. Set aside. By the way, I prepare the noodles fresh.

Ingredients for the broth:

• 1 whole bulb of garlic
• 1/2 cup of sliced ginger
• 3 stalks of green onion
• 1 medium onion
• 2-3 tbsp of vegetable stock or meat stock
• 1 tsp black peppercorn
• salt to taste
• 1 tsp ground blackpepper
• 8-10 cups of water

For your noodles, you can use dry or fresh ramen noodles. Most of Asian stores have variety of noodles. I normally buy Korean or Japanese dry ramen noodles so I can stock them at home. With fresh noodles, you would need to cook them within a certain period of time, normally a week or two. With dry noodles, just like any instant noodles, you can cook them after a few weeks or when you feel like.

Ingredients for Ramen Noodles: Per serving

• 1 serving of noodles
• 1-2 Medium boiled eggs
• 4 slices of meat (optional)
• 1 cup blanched bokchoy or cabbage
• 1 tbsp chopped green onion
• 1 tsp minced garlic
• 1 tsp hot chili garlic oil (optional)

In a big bowl, lay the cooked noodles nicely. Add meat, boiled eggs and vegetables. Garnish with green onions and garlic. Add the broth and whatever spices your heart desires like chili flakes or powder, ground pepper, hot chili garlic oil etc.

Enjoy! #ramennoodles #japanesecuisine #noodles