This recipe is EASY, QUICK, NO FUSS and really packed with a punch of flavour. It’s so good, it has become one of our weeknight dinner staples.
This is by no means a classic or traditional Ramen. In fact, when I first made an early version of this recipe, I had never had Ramen before. Although over the recent years this Japanese noodle broth has been gaining considerable traction in the South African foodie scene, it took a while for a few good restaurants to pop up (and Joburg is unfortunately still a bit behind with this). After a trip to Cape Town earlier this year, my husband and I excitedly booked a table at Ramenhead. Finally, we knew what all the fuss was about. That complex, collagen-filled broth was worth every slurp.
No this is not a labour-of-love, 48-hour, slow-cooked-pork ramen. And while there IS a place for that type of ramen, it is not on Wednesday weeknight. No, on a weeknight you want an easy, use-all-the-shortcuts, but still packed with flavour, worth-the-slurp ramen. And that is EXACTLY what this is. Although lacking in extended preparation time, this ramen is NOT lacking in flavour. Smoky, umami, salty, spicy, funky, sweet – it’s all there.
Here are a few of the flavour-boosting shortcuts:
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Quick marinated soy eggs
What is a ramen bowl without that golden soy marinated egg. Ideally, this should be marinated overnight. But if you haven’t thought this far ahead, simply make the eggs first and by the time you use them they will have that soy stained exterior and soft jammy interior.
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Shortcut Miso Broth
If you don’t have time to make a 48 hour slow cooked broth, this is a very good alternative. I like to use a combination of chicken bone broth and concentrated chicken stock to make up the 1 ¼ litres – the bone broth adds that collagen that makes for a very smooth broth. Chicken stock alone, though, will still work. The stock is simmered with fresh ginger, garlic, carrots, and spring onion – this is a helpful little tip to making the stock taste a bit more homemade. And then of course a nice generous spoon of miso paste is added to make it into a miso broth.
Pork Kassler Chops
I have never really been a HUGE fan of these, probably because they are so easy to overcook and come out quite dry. Almost like they were made to be served with a broth… Although not traditional at all, these work SO well in this ramen. The smoky, bacon like flavour is quite something when paired with the miso broth. Trust me, just try it. (also you don’t have to cook them to a shrivel just because its pork; because they are cured and smoked they only need a quick sear and a short rest, and they will be delicious and juicy.
Cooking the noodles in the broth
Another way of concentrating all the flavour is this dish – the noodles are cooked in the broth. This not only gives the noodles a hint of the miso flavour, but it also makes the broth taste so much better. It must be a combination of the little but of starch from the noodles and slight reduction that occurs while it is boiling, but the broth is just a bit creamier and ever so slightly “thicker”.
Steaming the vegetables over the broth
This is more of a time shortcut, and also reduces the number of pots and pans involved. But it also definitely imparts a bit of flavour too. I like to use a sieve which sits quite nicely over my cast iron pot, even when the lid is placed on top of it. The noodles cook, the broth reduces, and the vegetables are steamed all in one step. What more could you ask for?
And that’s it. These five shortcuts will take your ramen from bland to the BEST thing you have made in a while. I hope you will be making this as often as we do.
Miso Pork Kassler Ramen Bowl
Ingredients
Soy marinated eggs
- 2 eggs
- 4 tbsp dark soy sauce
- 2 tbsp sweet Indonesian soy sauce see note
Miso Broth
- 1 knob fresh ginger, about 3 cm, sliced into large slices
- 4 spring onion whites keep the green ends aside for serving
- 1 carrot, roughly chopped into large chunks
- 1 clove garlic, whole and peeled
- ½ tsp chiili flakes optional
- 1 tbsp miso paste
- 1250 ml good quality chicken broth see note
- 3-4 tsp soy sauce
- 1 tsp rice vinegar
- ¼-½ tsp fish sauce
- 1 tsp sugar
Vegetables
- 150 g mixed exotic mushrooms, wiped clean I like to use a mix of king oyster, shiitake and shimeji
- 100 g baby corn
- 2 small bunches of Pak Choi, rinsed well
Pork
- 2 smoked pork kassler chops
Noodles
- 2 nests dried medium egg noodles or noodles of choice
To serve
- 1-2 tsp black sesame seeds, toasted
- 1-2 tsp chilli oil
- 2 tsp spring onion greens, chopped
Instructions
Soy Marinated Eggs
- Boil the kettle. Place the eggs in a small saucepan and cover with boiling water. Boil for 6-7 minutes or until cooked to your liking (I like to use an egg colour indicator timer). Once ready, immediately remove from saucepan and place in an ice bath.
- Peel the eggs and place in a ziplock bag along with ⅓ cup soy sauce and 2 tbsp sweet indonesian soy sauce. Remove excess air in the bag and seal. Leave in the ziplock bag to rest in a small bowl so that the eggs are well covered by the soy sauce marinade.
Miso Broth
- Place a medium to large pot on the stove. Ensure that a sieve, colander or steaming basket can fit over the pot with the lid able to close over it (for steaming the vegetables at a later step).
- Add the ginger slices, carrot, spring onion whites, garlic clove and chilli flakes with a drizzle of oil. Add one heaped tablespoon of miso paste and sauté until fragrant.
- Add the chicken broth and stir to combine. Simmer, covered for 30 minutes whilst preparing the rest of the ingredients.
Prepare the Vegetables
- Heat a skillet pan over medium-high heat until quite hot.
- Cut the stems off the shiitake mushrooms. Place the stems in the simmering broth. Cut out an "x" from the top of the shiitake mushrooms (optional) and fry, top down, in the hot skillet for a minute or two until browned. Remove and set aside.
- Slice the king oyster mushrooms into thirds lengthways, and score one side in a criss-cross pattern with a knife (optional). Place in the hot skillet, scored side down, and fry for a minute or two until golden. Remove and set aside.
- Slice half of the baby corn into quarters lengthways. Fry in the hot skillet for a few minutes until charred. Set aside. Slice the rest of the corn into round discs and set aside.
- Slice off the base of the Pak Choi. Slice each leaf in half from the stem side to the end of the leaf.
Pork Kassler
- Heat the skillet from the previous steps on medium-high heat until hot.
- Fry the Pork Kassler chops for a few minutes per side until charred (because the Kassler chops are smoked they only need to be briefly grilled) . Set aside to rest. Slice into strips at a slight angle.
Final steps
- Remove the ginger, garlic and vegetables from the chicken broth using a slotted spoon and place the broth back on the heat.
- Add the soy sauce, rice vinegar, fish sauce and sugar to taste.
- Add the noodles directly to the simmering broth.
- Place the Pak Choi, baby corn discs and shimeji mushrooms in a seive or steam basket and place over the simmering broth. Cover with the lid and steam for 3-5 minutes until brightened in colour.
- Check that the noodles are cooked and take off the heat.
Plate up
- Dish up noodles. Place the pak choi, mushrooms and corn to the side of the noodles.
- Top with the sliced Kassler chops and a marinated egg sliced in half. Spoon over the broth.
- Top with your choice of toppings: chilli crunch, toasted sesame seeds, spring onion, strips of nori, chilli oil - and enjoy!
