Master Chef Cooking Competition- Japanese Ramen 

Broths:

Shoujin Mushroom Dashi, Dashi Stock, Paitain Dashi (Chicken Stock), Tonkotsu (Pork Stock), Soy Milk-Kombu Dashi 

Toppings: 

Spring Onion, Kikurage (Black Fungus Mushroom), Ito Togarashi (Chilli threads), Beni Shoga (Red Pickled Ginger), Black Garlic, Sesame Seeds, Nira (garlic chives), Corn, Butter, Bok Choy, Memna (Bamboo Shoots) 

Proteins: 

Chicken, Marinated Abura-age, Chashu, Soy Egg, Naruto, Moyashi (Bean Shoots), Nori, Onsen Tamago (Hot Spring Egg), Niku Miso 

Sauces:

Shio Tare, Miso tare, Shouyu Tare, Goma Tare 

Oils: 

Rayu- (Chilli Oi)l, Mayu- (Black Garlic Oil), Ginger-Garlic Oil 

🍜 Ramen- Noodles

Ramen is a Japanese noodle soup. It normally consists wheat noodles with a selection of toppings. This variation uses a chicken stock, shoyu (Japanese soy sauce) seasoning liquid called tare. 

Serves: 2

Preparation Time: 20 minutes

Execution Time: 20 minutes 

INGREDIENTS

• 120g plain flour

• 40g water 

• 1 tsp kansui (alkaline water) 

• 1 egg yolk 

METHOD

1. Combine all of the liquid ingredients in a small mixing bowl.

2. Make a well in the centre of the flour and pour the mixture in. 

3. Using a finger, slowly begin to incorporate the liquid mixture into the flour until it forms a single mass.

4. Knead the dough for 5-7 minutes or until the dough becomes smooth.

5. Let the dough rest for 20-30 minutes, wrapped so it doesn’t dry out.

6. Using a rolling pin, roll the dough until it is about 2-3mm in thickness. Sliced the dough to the thickness of your desire using a very sharp knife. Dust with a little flour so the noodles don’t stick together. Cook the noodles for 1 minute, 30 seconds. 

7. To serve, combine 240ml of tonkotsu dashi, 60ml of shouyu or shio tare in a pot and warm over low heat. Once hot, ladle the broth into a noodle bowl. Place the cooked noodles into the bowl. Top with a slice or 2 of sliced chashu, a soft boiled egg cooked for 9 minutes, 30 seconds (optionally marinated in shouyu tare for 15 minutes, and a sprinkle of sliced spring onions. 

Tonkotsu Broth - Pork Bone Stock

This is a simple pork stock used as a base for ramen broth. Unlike a western stock, the bones aren’t roasted, instead, they are boiled briefly in water to clean them before simmering on low heat for 4 hours.  

INGREDIENTS 

• 500g pork bones

• 8L water

Aromatics

• ½ carrot, peeled, cut into 3cm chunks

• 1 bunch of spring onion, white parts only, cut into 4cm batons 

• 1/2  white onion, charred 

• 4x4 cm ginger, sliced thinly

• 30g 7x7cm piece,  kombu

• 6 cloves of garlic, peeled

• 30g katsuobushi (bonito flakes)

METHOD

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil.

2. Blanch pork bones in water until the water returns to a boil. 

3. Rinse well in a colander with cold water. 

4. Return to pot and boil for 8-12 hours, and skimming any foam that rises to the surface. 

5. Add vegetables, and aromatics, turn off the heat and infuse for 45 minutes.

6. Strain through a fine-mesh strainer.

🍶Shio Tare- Salt-based Seasoning Sauce (Light) 

Shoyu Tare is a seasoning liquid made with Japanese soy sauce (shouyu) and some other Japanese alcohols: mirin and sake. The sauce can be used to simmer pork belly in or to marinate half-boiled eggs in for ramen. A little of this ramen seasoning liquid goes into each bowl of soup to ensure that every bowl comes out consistently. 

INGREDIENTS  

• 350ml water

• 100ml mirin

• 25g salt

• 20g aji (optional) 

• 15ml rice wine vinegar

• 10 ml soy sauce 

METHOD

1. Add all ingredients to a pot. When the mixture comes to a simmer, turn off the heat and mix all of the ingredients together until everything has dissolved.

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🍶Miso Tare- Miso Seasoning Sauce

INGREDIENTS  

• 350ml water

• 100ml mirin

• 150g sake

• 70g mirin 

• 70g soy sauce 

• 1200g aka miso 

• 80g sugar 

• 5 tbsp toasted sesame seeds 

• 50g grated garlic 

• 50g grated ginger 

• 20g toban djan 

METHOD

1. Add all ingredients to a pot. When the mixture comes to a simmer, turn off the heat and mix all of the ingredients together until everything has dissolved.

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🍶Shoyu Tare- Soy Sauce Seasoning 

Shoyu Tare is a seasoning liquid made with Japanese soy sauce (shouyu) and some other Japanese alcohols: mirin and sake. The sauce can be used to simmer pork belly in or to marinate half-boiled eggs in for ramen. A little of this ramen seasoning liquid goes into each bowl of soup to ensure that every bowl comes out consistently. 

INGREDIENTS  

• 345ml water 

• 160g shouyu (Japanese soy sauce)

• 150g mirin

• 190g cooking sake

• 35g sugar

• 30g salt

• 10g aji (optional) 

METHOD

1. Add all ingredients to a pot. 

2. When the mixture comes to a boil, ignite it with a barbecue lighter and cook until the alcohol evaporates. Turn off the heat when the flame is extinguished.

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🍶 Goma Dare Sauce: 

• 120g nerigoma (hulled white sesame paste)

• 70g water

• 20g miso 

• 15g soy sauce 

• 30g sugar 

• 25g rice wine vinegar 

• 10g sesame oil 

• 10g vegetable oil 

• 2g ajinomoto 

METHOD 

1. Whisk all ingredients together until smooth.  

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🍄 Shojin Dashi- Kombu and Shiitake Mushroom Stock 

This stock is a foundational element of Japanese Buddhist cuisine. This is the most simple version of the stock, but it sometimes also contains other ingredients like dried or fresh daikon radish, or dried eggplant. Compounds contained within shiitake mushrooms are known to boost immunity, fight cancer and improve heart help. Kombu Kelp is a nutrient dense food which contains lots of magnesium and numerous anti-oxidants.

Active time: 5 minutes

Total time:1 hour 

Serves: makes scant 1L 

INGREDIENTS 

• 1L cold water

• 6g dried shiitake mushrooms 

• 3g kombu 

METHOD 

Either: place all of the ingredients in a container and refrigerate overnight. The next day, discard the kombu, and squeeze out the mushrooms to yield as much stock as possible. The mushrooms can be reserved for another use. 

OR: Place all of the ingredients in a sauce pan and bring the water to around 70C. Simmer the ingredients at around 70C. Discard the kombu, and squeeze out the mushrooms to yield as much stock as possible. The mushrooms can be reserved for another use.

 🐟 Dashi Stock 

Dashi stock is a fundamental component of Japanese cuisine. It has a light, smokey flavour from a mixture of deep-sea kelp, and katsuobushi, or dried and smoked skipjack tuna flakes. 

Serves: 2

Preparation time: 5 minutes

Execution time: 15 minutes 

INGREDIENTS 

• 1L water

• 15g katsuobushi (bonito flakes) 

• 5g kombu 

METHOD 

1. Place the water and kombu in a large saucepot and set it over medium-low heat. 

2. Heat the water slowly over the course of 5-10 minutes until small bubbles appear around the side of the pot, or when the water reaches around 80C. 

3. Steep the kombu for 40-60minutes.

4. Remove to kombu from the pot and discard. 

5. Bring the liquid to a just before a boil and immediately shut off the heat. 

6. Add in the katsuobushi and steep for 10 minutes off the heat. 

7. Strain out the katsuobushi through a cheesecloth. 

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🐔Paitan Dashi - Chicken Stock

This is a simple chicken stock used as a base for ramen broth. Unlike a western stock, the bones aren’t roasted, instead, they are boiled briefly in water to clean them before simmering on low heat for 4 hours.  

INGREDIENTS 

• 3 chicken carcass

• 8L water

Aromatics

• ½ carrot, peeled, cut into 3cm chunks

• 1 bunch of spring onion, white parts only, cut into 4cm batons 

• 1/2  white onion, charred 

• 4x4 cm ginger, sliced thinly

• 30gor 7x7cm piece,  kombu

• 6 cloves of garlic, peeled

METHOD

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil.

2. Blanch chicken bones in water until the water returns to a boil. 

3. Rinse well in a colander with cold water. 

4. Return to pot and simmer for 4 hours, maintaining the temperature between 82-90C, skimming occasionally. 

5. Add vegetables, and aromatics, turn off the heat and infuse for 45 minutes.

6. Strain through a fine-mesh strainer.

🥩Chashu- Braised Pork Belly or Chicken

This braised pork dish makes a rich and luscious topping for ramen or even simply as a topping for rice.

INGREDIENTS

• 800g pork belly, skin removed (or substitute chicken) and cook for 6 hours. 

• 800ml water (optional) 

• 80g cooking sake

• 80g soy sauce

• 40g sugar

• 40g knob ginger, crushed

METHOD 

1. Place all of the ingredients in a pressure cooker, and cook at pressure #2 for 40 minutes. OR place all of the ingredients into a sauce pan and simmer over low heat, partially covered for 2.5 hours or until the pork is just tender.

2. Depressurize. Place the pot over medium-low heat. Reduce the liquid until it becomes as thick as honey, basting the pork belly continuously. 

3. Allow to cool in the fridge for 10 minutes before slicing.

4. Alternatively, you can sous vide the pork belly at 68.3C for 24 hours.

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