I, like most people, am a huge ramen fan; it’s simple make up, warming qualities and intense Asian flavours just tick all the right boxes for me. It really is no wonder that since it’s invention in the early 1900s, that it has become one of the world’s most popular dishes. Indeed, in Japan each region has its own distinctive ramen variations rangeing from Northern Japan’s iconic pork bone broth variety to the South’s miso ramen.
While I really do appreciate the time and effort that goes into creating a traditional ramen, sometimes I simply can’t wait more than twenty-four hours for my broth to intensify! As a resolution, I have put the following recipe together for a quick and very simple pork-belly and egg noodle mid-week ramen supper. (I apologise in advance for all the ramen rules I’m breaking, and if this recipe even qualifies as a ramen – but I made it for a few friends a few weeks ago and they weren’t complaining!)
Pork Belly Ramen, Serves 4
INGREDIENTS
For the broth
2 tbsp Mirin
150 ml of Dark Soy Sauce
2 Garlic Cloves
1 thumb sized piece of Ginger
1 tbsp Muscovado Sugar
2 Litres of good quality Chicken Stock
4 Spring Onions
For the Ramen
750g Pork Belly
1 tsp Crushed Chilli Flakes
4 Eggs
250g Egg Noodles
A small handful of Coriander
METHOD
Begin by slicing the pork belly into quarters and bake in the oven at 180°C on a baking tray with a drizzle of soy sauce and sprinkling of crushed chilli flakes. This will need baking for about 30 minutes or until fully cooked through.
To make the broth, heat the mirin and soy sauce in wok and slowly bring to the boil. Once boiling grate in the ginger, add the garlic finely sliced and stir in the muscovado sugar so that it all dissolves. Leave the mixture simmering for a further 5 minutes. Next add the chicken stock and spring onions, finely sliced, and leave simmering.
While your broth is simmering away, place a large saucepan of water over some heat until boiling, to this pan add both your noodles and eggs. Remove both after four minutes exactly and place in a waiting bowl of cold water. Leave to cool. Once cooled, carefully peel your now soft-boiled eggs.
Taking four deep-dished bowls, evenly divide up the noodles between each. To this add an even amount of pork belly. Next top your bowl up with the broth, slice the eggs in half and float in the broth. Finish with a sprinkling of coriander, a drizzle of soy sauce and extra chilli flakes if you want to spice things up.
There you have it, my super easy but super tasty Ramen – and done in a flash!
A little Tasty 