Ramen

Ramen is one of those "ultimate comfort foods" for a lot of people. A good ramen should have body in the soup (slightly sticky with collagen and fat), meaty with pork bones, and be always, always accompanied by a soft boiled egg.

Recipe

1 tsp oil
200g pork ribs
1/2 cup dried mushrooms
A few pieces dried seaweed
1 bunch spring onions, sliced
2 tsp minced garlic
2 tsp minced or thinly sliced ginger
1 star anise
2 tbsp mirin
1 tbsp soy sauce
1-2 eggs

Ramen (wheat) noodles

1 cup snow peas
1 cup bean sprouts
2 tsp miso
Any sliced leftover meat (leftover roast duck or goose breast, roast pork belly, etc., sauted to crisp up any skin) or grilled portobello mushrooms

Heat the oil, and saute the bones until brown. While that is happening, boil some water. Place the dried mushrooms and seaweed into a bowl  and cover with boiling water. Let sit to soak while you get on with the dish.

Add the onions, garlic, and ginger to the pan and saute lightly. Then add boiling water to the bones to cover, add the star anise, soy sauce and mirin, and simmer for 15-20 minutes

Soft boil the eggs. Peel and set aside (ideally in water with soy sauce and mirin added).

Add the dried mushrooms and the soaking liquid to the pot (depending on the type of seaweed used, it can either be added or thrown away - some types of seaweed will impart a bitter taste when simmered).

Bring back up to the simmer, and add the noodles. Check your package instructions for length off cooking, and add the snow peas 4 minutes before the end of cooking time, and the beansprouts 2 minutes after that.

Finally take off the heat, and stir in the mirin.

Laddle the noodles, vegetables, ribs and soup into bowls. Halve the eggs. Top the bowls of soup with the eggs and the sliced mushrooms or meat. Serve with some chili sauce on the table, if desired

Serves: 2
Preparation and cooking time: 40-45 minutes