Easy Homemade Ramen

In anticipation of our trip to Japan for the World Snowshoe Championships, I started reading up on Ramen. Who doesn’t love a good bowl of Ramen?! It’s hard to come by here in New Hampshire. But on a snowy trip to Jay Peak in Jay, Vermont we discovered Miso Hungry, a delicious Ramen shack at the base of the mountain that dished out authentic Ramen.

After a particularly snowy, cold snowshoe run around the Jay Peak Nordic Trails I popped by their shack for a cup of what they call their Back Country Booster: a steaming mug of miso broth topped with hot sesame oil. I’ve never consumed something so entirely satisfying after a snowshoe run before. Everything about it was perfect, from the saltiness of the broth to the umami flavor to the subtle heat from the oil. Less than an hour later I was back again having a full bowl of ramen to properly fuel back up after a day on the snow.

After tasting that perfect Ramen bowl at Jay Peak and subsequent bowls while in Japan I decided to finally try my hand at a few recipes. After a few disappointing attempts, I realized that  I needed to take matters into my own hands.

The taste I was really looking for was a combination of a Miso (broth flavored with miso) and Tonkatsu (broth flavored with pork). I found two recipes for each type of ramen and melded the two together to create a Ramen broth recipe that to me tastes as delicious as that cup of Back Country Booster I had at Jay Peak. 

Easy Homemade Ramen

Ramen Ingredients

Broth

Tare

Ramen Noodles

Ramen Eggs

Thinly Chopped Cabbage

Shredded Carrot

Spinach

Seaweed sheets

Hot sesame oil

Broth Ingredients

Sesame oil

4 cloves garlic, mashed and diced

1 small onion, diced

2 slices bacon, cut into 2-inch strips

Fresh ginger (1 Tbs of paste or a small nub finely diced)

½ c. dried shitake mushrooms

¼ c. tamari

2-3 pieces seaweed (I used the seaweed snacks from Trader Joe’s)

2 cups chicken broth

6 cups water

Broth Instructions: 

1. Heat a generous drizzle sesame oil into large stew pot.

2. Sautee garlic, onion and bacon until bacon is crispy and cooked through.

3. Add in Tamari, mushrooms, ginger, seaweed and cover with chicken broth and water. Let simmer for 2-3 hours.

4. When broth has finished cooking strain to separate liquids from solids. Set solids aside. 

Tare

2 Tbs Mirin

2 Tbs Miso

1 packet white miso (this can be omitted if all you can find is regular miso)

2 cloves crushed garlic

1. Combine Mirin, Miso and garlic in a small bowl and whisk to combine and set aside.

Marinade for Ramen Eggs

½ cup Mirin

½ cup Tamari

1 Tbs Brown Sugar

3-4 cloves Garlic

Fresh ginger (1 Tbs of paste or a small nub finely diced)

1. Combine all ingredients in tall container

2. Hard boil eggs (bring water to a boil and gently place eggs in water, cook 7-8 minutes for soft center 9-10 minutes for fully cooked yolk*) * these times apply to medium-sized eggs, for large eggs increase time by a minute

3. After eggs are cooked and peeled, place in the marinade for several hours or overnight.

To finish and assemble the Ramen: 

1. Cook ramen noodles according to directions on package and drain. 

2. While noodles are cooking combine add tare to the broth, stir to combine. 

3. Serve ramen noodles into bowls and ladle broth over the top. Add cabbage, a few leaves of spinach, shredded carrots, Ramen egg, and a sheet of seaweed to the top. Drizzle with hot sesame oil to taste.

Enjoy!

—Sarah