How to make ramen? Three tried and tested recipes

Ramen...

is a Japanese dish consisting of a rich broth, noodles, many toppings, and spices, which vary depending on the specific recipe. Ramen soup arrived in Japan from China in the 19th century, but only gained popularity after World War II. It’s impossible to pinpoint one definitive ramen recipe, as many types exist, and the final taste depends on culinary preferences and the chef's creativity. However, several ingredients are most commonly used in preparing this dish.

Chinese noodles

The Japanese word ramen refers to a type of Chinese wheat noodle, which is one of the main ingredients of the soup. Besides noodles, ramen should always include a rich broth, traditionally made from pork. In addition, ramen can feature fish and seafood, various vegetables such as Napa cabbage, daikon radish, bamboo shoots, corn, onion, as well as pork and chicken meat, seaweed and hard-boiled eggs. Japanese soup is typically seasoned with soy sauce, although miso, a fermented soybean paste, is also quite common. To enhance the flavour, prepared ramen can be sprinkled with sesame seeds, chives or fresh coriander.

Ramen soup is served in small bowls with chopsticks and a spoon. The toppings are eaten with chopsticks, while the broth can be drunk directly from the bowl or eaten with a spoon.

Enough of the theory! It’s high time to dive into some specific ramen recipes – vegetarian, chicken, and beef. The proportions given in the recipes are enough to prepare soup for 4 hungry people.

A delicious, vegetarian Japanese broth packed with healthy and beneficial ingredients for your body. Prepare vegetarian ramen with tofu and plenty of crunchy vegetables.

Ingredients for the vegetable broth:

• 2 carrots
• 2 parsnips
• half a celeriac
• 1.5 teaspoons of salt
• 5 allspice berries
• 5 bay leaves
• 1 small leek
• 1.5 litres of water

Other ingredients:

• 30g dried shiitake mushrooms
• 4 cloves of garlic
• 1 red onion
• 20g ginger
• 2.5 teaspoons of tamarind paste
• 2 tablespoons of soy sauce
• 1.5 teaspoons of light miso paste
• 1.5 teaspoons of sesame oil
• 4 eggs
• 200g smoked tofu
• 150g baby corn on the cob
• 1 bunch of fresh coriander
• 2 chillies
• 200g ramen noodles
• 100g fresh spinach
• 3 tablespoons of toasted sesame seeds

Preparation:

• Peel, wash, and cut carrots, parsnips, and celeriac into smaller pieces. Pour water into a pot, add the chopped vegetables, salt, allspice, and bay leaves.
• Slice the white part of the leek, fry it in a pan with a small amount of oil, then add to the water with vegetables and spices.
• Soak the mushrooms in warm water, then slice them.
• In a separate pot, sauté the peeled and crushed garlic, finely chopped onion, and ginger. Add a cup of vegetable broth. Wait about 5 minutes and pour in the rest of the water with the chopped vegetables.
• Add the sliced mushrooms, tamarind paste, and soy sauce. Bring the pot to a boil, then reduce the heat. Cook everything covered for about 1.5 hours.
• After this time, add the miso paste and sesame oil.
• Hard-boil the eggs.
• Slice the tofu and fry it in a small amount of oil.
• Blanch the baby corn in hot water, then drain.
• Finely chop the coriander.
• Finely chop the chilli and fry it in oil.
• Prepare the noodles according to the package instructions.
• Divide the noodles among small bowls. Pour hot broth over them. Add tofu, chilli, baby corn, and a halved egg. Sprinkle with spinach, coriander, and finally with toasted sesame seeds.

Below is a recipe for chicken ramen – a soup with a distinctive aroma and rich flavour. Chicken ramen consists of a broth, a base, which gives the soup its spiciness and unique taste, and many healthy and delicious toppings. The dish is simple to prepare and very nourishing.

Ingredients for the broth:

• 2 chicken thighs
• 2 carrots
• 2 parsnips
• 1 leek
• 1 teaspoon of salt
• 1 teaspoon of pepper
• 1.5 litres of water

Ingredients for the soup base:

• 2 tablespoons of rapeseed oil
• 2 tablespoons of sesame oil
• 1 chilli
• 20g ginger
• 3 tablespoons of miso paste
• 4 tablespoons of soy sauce

Other ingredients for chicken ramen soup:

• 4 eggs
• 200g ramen noodles
• small can of bamboo shoots
• 1 bunch of spring onions (chives)
• 2 tablespoons of mung bean sprouts

Preparation:

• Start by preparing the broth. Wash the leek, and peel and wash the carrots and parsnips. You don't need to cut them into smaller pieces. Place the cleaned chicken thighs in a large pot, cover with water, and bring to a boil. After about 30 minutes, skim off any foam that forms on the surface, then add the carrots, parsnips, leek, salt, and pepper. Simmer the broth over the lowest heat for 2 hours.
• Time to prepare the soup base. In a small saucepan, heat the rapeseed and sesame oil, add the finely chopped chilli, chopped ginger, miso paste, and soy sauce. Combine everything and set aside.
• Cook the eggs for about 5 minutes, so the yolk remains slightly runny.
• Remove the chicken thighs from the broth and separate the meat from the bones.
• Cook the ramen noodles according to the package instructions.
• Cut the bamboo shoots into smaller pieces, and finely chop the spring onions.
• Prepare the bowls. Add 1 teaspoon of the soup base to each, pour in the broth, add a portion of cooked noodles, meat, a halved egg, bean sprouts, bamboo shoots, and chopped spring onions.

Discover the recipe for beef broth based on fried beef ribs with plenty of exquisite toppings, which owes its specific and unique taste primarily to ingredients such as ginger, garlic, and soy sauce.

Ingredients for the meat broth:

• 1 kg beef ribs
• 3 carrots
• half a celeriac
• leek
• 1.5 litres of water

Ingredients for the base:

• 2 chillies
• 20g ginger
• 2 tablespoons of sesame oil
• 5 tablespoons of soy sauce
• 4 cloves of garlic

Other ingredients:

• 200g rice noodles
• 30g dried mun mushrooms
• 3 tablespoons of rice vinegar
• red pepper
• bunch of spring onions (chives)
• salt
• cooking oil

Preparation:

• Sear the beef ribs on both sides in hot oil.
• Wash and peel 2 carrots, celeriac, and the green part of the leek, then cut them into smaller pieces.
• Pour water into a large pot, add the meat and vegetables, and cook over low heat for 3 hours. Towards the end of cooking, add salt and pepper to the broth.
• Prepare the ramen base. Sauté the chopped chillies, ginger, sesame oil, soy sauce, and crushed garlic in oil.
• Prepare the noodles according to the package instructions.
• Soak the mushrooms in hot water for 15 minutes, then cook them for 10 minutes, cool, and cut into strips.
• Slice the white part of the leek into rounds, place them in a small bowl, and cover with rice vinegar.
• Clean and cut the red pepper and carrot into thin strips.
• Strain the broth through a sieve, and cut the cooked meat into thick slices.
• Finely chop the spring onions.
• Add the soup base to the clear broth. Mix everything together.
• Prepare 4 soup bowls. Place a portion of noodles, chopped red pepper and carrot, leek marinated in vinegar, mushrooms, and beef slices in each. Pour broth over the contents of the bowl. Sprinkle the soup with spring onions before serving.

We hope that today's post has inspired you to prepare a delicious and aromatic ramen soup. Perhaps you'll even be tempted to create your own version of ramen, tailored to your culinary preferences? See for yourself how simple and delicious it is!