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It’s the toppings that make it really special. Here are five versions, from a Toyko classic to a new Cardiff cult hit
You need five things: broth, flavour-giving tare, noodles, fat and toppings. And it’s the toppings that make it really special. Here are five versions, from a Toyko classic to a new Cardiff cult hitt its simplest, ramen is the balance of five elements: broth, tare , noodles, fat and toppings.
If you understand that, this seemingly cryptic and complex corner of Japanese food culture opens right up. The first four take time, but if you pick up a shop-bought stock and some decent noodles, I won’t tell anyone. But the toppings are where the real payoff is: the fastest way to turn a midweek nothing into something worth showing off. Spring onions should be used to top every bowl .
Where there’s a broth, aim for 300ml, and where dashi is mentioned, instant is fine – unless you’re vegan, in which case steep 20g each of kombu and dried shiitake in one litre of cold water overnight, and keep the mushrooms for the soboro. Noodle portions are 130g unless stated otherwise, and any specialist items should be available online or at your local Asian supermarket.
None of these toppings belong to one bowl, so swap them about – and they’re all good beyond ramen: chashu in a cheese toastie, say, soboro on rice, or ajitama in a caesar salad. The tares are multiuse, too: the tantanmen tare is great in scrambled eggs; the miso tare on corn on the cob, and the shio tare will improve pretty much anything. Roll and tie 500g pork belly and brown it all over in a pan.
Deglaze the pan with 150ml sake, add 300ml each of shoyu, mirin and water, 30g demerara sugar, six sliced garlic cloves and a sliced 4cm piece of ginger, and simmer gently, turning, for two hours,. Cool in the liquid to room temperature, then chill overnight.
Cut into 1cm-thick slices and torch or pan-fry to serve.2 tbsp tahini, 1½ tbsp shoyu, 2 tsp black vinegar, 1 tsp sugar, a pinch each of MSG and ground Sichuan pepperSoften a small diced onion and 2cm piece grated ginger in oil for five minutes. Add five grated garlic cloves followed by 500g fatty pork mince – although any mince works, but vegan mince will need more water - and fry until it’s in grains, not lumps.
Add three tablespoons of doubanjiang , one and a half tablespoons each of shoyu and mirin, plus a splash of water. Cook for 15 minutes until glossy.30ml shio Warm 100ml water, dissolve 10g brown sugar in it, then add 100ml each shoyu and mirin and chill.
Pierce six fridge-cold large eggs at the wide end and boil for seven minutes, stirring for the first 30 seconds to centre the yolks. Plunge into iced water, peel, and submerge in the cold marinade for 12-72 hours. A late-night Cardiff cult classic – chicken, curry sauce and chips – our version of nagoya mazesoba. Sauce in the bowl, hot noodles on top, toss hard.
Coat 500g skinless and boneless chicken thighs in 50g shio koji, 20g mirin, half a tablespoon of shoyu and one teaspoon each of grated ginger and garlic. Leave up to three hours. Add 100ml water, cover and cook over a low heat for 45 minutes. Uncover and reduce until it crisps.
Shred the meat and toss through the glaze.60g a bowl – 100g each white and red miso with 2 tbsp sake, 1 tbsp each mirin and shoyu, 1 tsp each grated raw garlic and gingerGet a wok very hot with a little neutral oil. Add 200g shredded cabbage and 150g beansprouts, and toss hard for two minutes – you want char, not steam.
Season with a tablespoon of shoyu, a teaspoon of sesame oil and a pinch each of salt, sugar and shichimi togarashi.
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