I totally won. If there was a game, I just won it.
Often, when I’m working, I get tunnel-vision, and I forget to eat. I know, I know. I have a kitchen blog, so how could I FORGET TO EAT??
But I do. And if I’m knee deep in designing a website or a print design project or copy editing, I may forget to come up for air. Before I know it, it’s been 6 hours, and I’m STARVING.
I’ve been trying to take better care of myself, lately, which means stopping before it’s too late and actually cooking something.
Today, I took inventory and found broth, onions, eggs, a few slices of bacon, garlic, ginger, and ramen noodles. Oh boy. I’m going to make ramen! I thought.
If you’re thinking about the super inexpensive, super salty “ramen” that comes in a package that you mix with water… the kind that college students live off of… I feel so sad for you. You’ve clearly never had actual ramen!
Thats like comparing a handmade, wood fired gourmet pizza to frozen bagel bites. C’mon! Not even the same.
As for me, all my favorite foods are those you can either slurp or eat with a spoon: soups, stews, curries, custard, ice-cream.
I fully admit that my version of ramen today was a more than a little bastardized. For one thing, I used my immunity boosting chicken broth, since that’s what I had on hand. Usually Japanese ramen is made with pork broth. The important point is that the broth is UMAMI. And my chicken broth certainly was that!
Umami is a Japanese word that is rooted in the word umai, which means “delicious.” Umami refers to to foods that contain glutamic acid, which give food a “meaty” or “hearty” quality, often synonymous with “savory.”
The heart of ramen is umami, so when I built this recipe, my aim was to balance a foundational umami flavor with other tastes such as pungent, spicy, woody, sulfurous, and sweet. Cooking is all about balance, and I must say, this turned out AMAZING! (Want to learn more about balancing flavors? Check out the Flavor Crash Course.)
So how did a Vietnamese girl make ramen? I’ll tell you!
How a Vietnamese Girl Makes (Freaking Awesome) Ramen: Everything you’ll need
1/4 cup fresh or dried mushrooms
3 TBSP butter (I use this kind)
1 small onion
1 egg (preferably pastured), which we are going to hard boil
6 cups filtered water (I use this water filter)
Ramen noodles (buy here)
3 cups of my immunity boosting broth
2 tsp miso paste
3-4 TBSP shoyu (soy sauce)
4 TBSP sesame oil
2 tsp minced ginger
2-3 large cloves of garlic, crushed, minced
Sea salt
2 slices chopped bacon
1 tsp jalapeño, minced
Toasted sesame seeds
1/4 cup sweet corn
Scallions
Ramen Assembly Instructions: Single Serving
See how I divided the ingredients above? This is so I could show so you the different steps. Many of my friends have told me that one of their biggest challenges with cooking is “juggling,” or cooking many different things at the same time. I enjoy the juggling and it’s become second nature to me, so I’m going to out line for you, in order, what you should be doing to make this bowl of ramen. :)
- First, if using dried mushrooms, soak in 1-1/2 cups of hot water. If fresh, add at the end.
- Next, slice the onion longways into strips, and sauté on medium in a pan with butter, stirring occasionally until caramelized. This takes about 10 minutes, and you can just have the onions going on a back burner. Be sure to turn the heat off once they are dark brown, and don’t let them burn and get crispy.
- Meanwhile, in a small pot, bring 2 cups of water to a boil. And in a medium pot, bring 6 cups of water to a boil. You can use the two front burners for this.
- When the small pot comes to a boil, remove from heat, take an egg from the fridge and gently place it in the water, then replace on the heat and boil for exactly 8 minutes. When the egg is done, drain the hot water, and place the egg in an ice-bath.
- When the medium pot comes to a boil, add in a serving of ramen noodles and boil for 5 minutes, then drain. When you’ve drained the noodles, go ahead and place them in your soup bowl. They can hang out in there until everything else is done.
- Rinse out the medium pan and add your broth, miso, and shoyu. Bring to BARELY a simmer uncovered (DO NOT LET IT BOIL). If using dried mushrooms, drain them and add them to the broth at this point, and then go to next step.
- Take the small pan you were using for the egg, rinse it, dry it, and place it back on the stove with half of the sesame oil (2 TBSP). While the oil is heating, crush and mince the garlic and ginger, and chop the bacon and jalapeños. Muddle the garlic and ginger with a sprinkle of sea salt, and place in a small ceramic bowl. When the oil is beginning to smoke, pour the oil over the garlic and ginger. It should bubble and become very aromatic.
- Place the remaining sesame oil into the small pan, along with the chopped bacon and jalapeños and cook on medium, stirring occasionally, until the bacon is beginning to brown. When the bacon is beginning to brown along the edges, add the garlic and ginger to the pan and lightly brown the garlic. Remove from heat when garlic is lightly brown, and garnish with toasted sesame seeds.
- By now, your broth should be nice and hot. If using fresh mushrooms, add them at this point along with the sweet corn. Simmer for 2-3 minutes.
- Now, it’s time to plate! (Or would we say “bowl”?) Pour the broth over the noodles along with the mushrooms and corn. Peel your hard boiled egg and cut in half and place in bowl. Add in your caramelized onions, as well as your sesame/garlic/ginger/bacon/jalapeño garnish. Top with scallions!
- ¼ cup fresh or dried mushrooms
- 3 TBSP butter (I use this kind)
- 1 small onion
- 1 egg (preferably pastured), which we are going to hard boil
- 6 cups filtered water (I use this water filter)
- Ramen noodles (buy here)
- 3 cups of my immunity boosting broth
- 2 tsp miso paste
- 3-4 TBSP shoyu (soy sauce)
- 4 TBSP sesame oil
- 2 tsp minced ginger
- 2-3 large cloves of garlic, crushed, minced
- Sea salt
- 2 slices chopped bacon
- 1 tsp jalapeño, minced
- Toasted sesame seeds
- ¼ cup sweet corn
- Scallions
- First, if using dried mushrooms, soak in 1-1/2 cups of hot water. If fresh, add at the end.
- Next, slice the onion longways into strips, and sauté on medium in a pan with butter, stirring occasionally until caramelized. This takes about 10 minutes, and you can just have the onions going on a back burner. Be sure to turn the heat off once they are dark brown, and don’t let them burn and get crispy.
- Meanwhile, in a small pot, bring 2 cups of water to a boil. And in a medium pot, bring 6 cups of water to a boil. You can use the two front burners for this.
- When the small pot comes to a boil, remove from heat, take an egg from the fridge and gently place it in the water, then replace on the heat and boil for exactly 8 minutes. When the egg is done, drain the hot water, and place the egg in an ice-bath.
- When the medium pot comes to a boil, add in a serving of ramen noodles and boil for 5 minutes, then drain. When you’ve drained the noodles, go ahead and place them in your soup bowl. They can hang out in there until everything else is done.
- Rinse out the medium pan and add your broth, miso, and shoyu. Bring to BARELY a simmer uncovered (DO NOT LET IT BOIL). If using dried mushrooms, drain them and add them to the broth at this point, and then go to next step.
- Take the small pan you were using for the egg, rinse it, dry it, and place it back on the stove with half of the sesame oil (2 TBSP). While the oil is heating, crush and mince the garlic and ginger, and chop the bacon and jalapeños. Muddle the garlic and ginger with a sprinkle of sea salt, and place in a small ceramic bowl. When the oil is beginning to smoke, pour the oil over the garlic and ginger. It should bubble and become very aromatic.
- Place the remaining sesame oil into the small pan, along with the chopped bacon and jalapeños and cook on medium, stirring occasionally, until the bacon is beginning to brown. When the bacon is beginning to brown along the edges, add the garlic and ginger to the pan and lightly brown the garlic. Remove from heat when garlic is lightly brown, and garnish with toasted sesame seeds.
- By now, your broth should be nice and hot. If using fresh mushrooms, add them at this point along with the sweet corn. Simmer for 2-3 minutes.
- Now, it’s time to plate! (Or would we say “bowl”?) Pour the broth over the noodles along with the mushrooms and corn. Peel your hard boiled egg and cut in half and place in bowl. Add in your caramelized onions, as well as your sesame/garlic/ginger/bacon/jalapeño garnish. Top with scallions!
