Chicken Ramen

Notes: Kombu is edible kelp used in Japanese cooking. It can be found dried and packaged in your local Asian market.
I found that bringing the stock to an initial boil, straining, and then boiling again eliminated the need to skim impurities from the stock as it simmered, but this may be omitted and you can start with the chicken parts and the vegetables in step 1. There wasn't an obvious difference in color or flavor.
You need to simmer for at least six hours (eight is preferred) to achieve a stock with the fullest body. The bones will easily break apart when the stock is ready.
For the chicken bouillon cubes, it's only suggested if a more "in your face" chicken flavor is desired (see related story). I personally suggest simply salting the stock (around 1/4 teaspoon salt per cup stock) to let the natural chicken flavor shine, but if a more "chicken-y" experience is what you're after, you can try seasoning with 1/8 teaspoon of bouillon per cup stock.
This recipe is for a rich, full-bodied broth. If a lighter flavor is preferred, add hot water to the resulting stock. Wasabi paste will add heat.

Special equipment: large stockpot

Ingredients

serves serves 6, active time 9 hours, total time 9 hours

• 4 pounds chicken wings
• 1 pound chicken feet
• 2 (12-inch) pieces kombu (see note above)
• 2 leeks, trimmed and sliced 1-inch thick
• 8 cloves garlic
• 2 bunches scallions, whites reserved, greens thinly sliced, divided
• 1 onion, skin-on, halved
• 6 ounces fresh shiitake mushrooms, washed and trimmed
• 2-inch piece ginger, sliced
• Kosher salt
• 6 shallots, peeled and sliced thin
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• Chicken bouillon cubes (optional, see note above)
• 6 servings of fresh, dried, or frozen ramen noodles
• Toasted white and black sesame seeds, coarse ground
• Sesame oil
• Marinated soft boiled eggs
• Wasabi paste (optional)

Procedures

1. Place the chicken wings and chicken feet in a large stockpot and cover with cold water. Heat over high heat and bring to the boil. Remove from heat as soon as boil is reached, carefully strain, gently rinse, and return chicken to pot (see note above).
   
2. Add kombu, leeks, garlic, scallion whites, onion (skin side up), mushrooms, and ginger to chicken. Cover with cold water (about 16 cups) and bring to boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to maintain a simmer.
   
3. Skim impurities (but not the fat) from the stock as it simmers and remove kombu after 30 minutes. Continue to simmer stock uncovered (adding hot water to keep bones submerged) for 8 hours (see note above). Remove from heat and carefully strain through a fine mesh strainer. Do not skim fat (see note above). You should have about 10 cups stock.
   
4. To make fried shallots, place oil and shallots in a medium saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring, until shallots are crispy and golden brown, about 5 minutes. Remove shallots with slotted spoon and transfer to plate. Reserve oil for another use.
   
5. To serve, season broth with a generous amount of salt (see note). Serve with cooked ramen noodles, sesame seeds, sesame oil, fried shallots, thinly sliced green scallions, marinated egg, and optional wasabi paste.

Ramen Crust Pizza

Special equipment

10-inch cast skillet

Ingredients

serves Serves 3 to 4, active time 10 minutes, total time 30 minutes

• 2 packages instant ramen noodles, noodles only
• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 12 ounces grated mozzarella or Jack cheese
• 3/4 cup homemade or store-bought pizza sauce
• 2 ounces grated parmesan cheese, divided
• Toppings, as desired

Procedures

1. Adjust oven rack to center position and preheat oven to 450°F. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add noodles and cook, breaking them apart with tongs, until flexible but not completely softened, about 2 minutes. Drain carefully.
   
2. Heat olive oil in a 10-inch cast iron skillet over medium heat until shimmering. Add noodles and press with the bottom of a spatula into an even later that completely covers the bottom of the skillet. Reduce heat to low.
   
3. Spread half of mozzarella or Jack cheese evenly over noodles, then spread sauce, going all the way to the edge of the pan. Spread remaining mozzarella or jack on top along with half of parmesan. Top pizza as desired, then place in oven. Bake until top is browned and bubbly, about 20 minutes. Sprinkle with remaining parmesan. Allow to cool slightly, then use a thin metal spatula to loosen edges from skillet. Carefully slide pizza out onto cutting board. Slice, and serve immediately.

Miso Ramen With Crispy Pork and Burnt Garlic-Sesame Oil

Ingredients

serves Serves 6 to 8

• 3 pounds pig trotters, split lengthwise or cut crosswise into 1-inch disks (as your butcher to do this for you)
• 2 pounds chicken backs and carcasses, skin and excess fat removed
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 large onion, skin on, roughly chopped
• 12 garlic cloves
• One 3-inch knob ginger, roughly chopped
• 2 whole leeks, washed and roughly chopped
• 2 dozen scallions, white parts only (reserve greens and light green parts for garnishing finished soup)
• 6 ounces whole mushrooms or mushroom scraps
• 2 pounds boneless skinless pork shoulder, in one chunk
• 1/2 cup red miso paste
• 1/4 cup shoyu
• 1 tablespoon mirin
• Salt, to taste
•  
• To Serve:
• 6 to 8 portions fresh ramen noodles
• 1 recipe Burnt Garlic-Sesame-Chili Oil
• 3 to 4 ajitsuke tamago
• Other toppings such as enoki mushrooms, thinly sliced woodear mushrooms, or bamboo shoots as desired

Procedures

1. Place pork and chicken bones in a large stockpot and cover with cold water. Place on a burner over high heat and bring to a boil. Remove from heat as soon as boil is reached.
   
2. While pot is heating, heat vegetable oil in a medium cast iron or non-stick skillet over high heat until lightly smoking. Add onions, garlic, and ginger. Cook, tossing occasionally until deeply charred on most sides, about 15 minutes total. Set aside.
   
3. Once pot has come to a boil, dump water down the drain. Carefully wash all bones under cold running water, removing any bits of dark marrow or coagulated blood. Bones should be uniform grey/white after you've scrubbed them. Use a chopstick to help remove small bits of dark marrow from inside the trotters or near the chickens' spines.
   
4. Return bones to pot along with charred vegetables, leeks, scallion whites, mushrooms, and pork shoulder. Top up with cold water. Bring to a rolling boil over high heat, skimming off any scum that appears (this should stop appearing within the first 20 minutes or so). Use a clean sponge or moist paper towels to wipe and black or gray scum off from around the rim of the pot. Reduce heat to a bare simmer and place a heavy lid on top.
   
5. Once the lid is on, check the pot after 15 minutes. It should be at a slow rolling boil. If not, increase or decrease heat slightly to adjust boiling speed. Boil broth until pork shoulder is completely tender, about 3 hours. Carefully remove shoulder with a slotted spatula. Transfer shuolder to a sealed container and refrigerate until. Return lid to pot and continue cooking until broth is opaque with the texture of light cream, about 6 to 8 hours longer, topping up as necessary to keep bones submerged at all times. If you must leave the pot unattended for an extended period of time, top up the pot and reduce the heat to the lowest setting while you are gone. Return to a boil when you come back and continue cooking, topping up with more water as necessary.
   
6. Once broth is ready, cook over high heat until reduced to around 3 quarts. Strain through a fine mesh strainer into a clean pot. Discard solids. For an even cleaner soup, strain again through a chinois or a fine mesh strainer lined with several layers of cheese cloth. Skim liquid fat from top with a ladle and discard. Whisk in miso paste, 3 tablespoons of shoyu, and salt to taste. Keep warm.
   
7. Shred pork shoulder with fingers until finely shredded and toss with remaining shoyu and mirin. Season to taste with salt.
   
8. To Serve: Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Meanwhile, place shredded pork shoulder in a 10-inch non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Cook, stirring and tossing occasionally, until crisp all over. Set aside.
   
9. Cook noodles according to package directions. Drain and transfer to warmed ramen bowls. Ladle broth over noodles and drizzle with a tablespoon or two of burnt garlic-sesame-chili oil per bowl. Divide crisp pork evenly between bowls. Cut eggs in half and add half to each bowl. Top with other toppings as desired and serve immediately.

Ramen-Crusted Fried Chicken

 

Ingredients

serves Serves 3 to 5, active time 25 minutes, total time 4 1/2 hours to overnight

• 2 packages of shrimp- or chicken-flavored instant ramen noodles
• 8 ounces (about 1 cup) buttermilk
• 1 ounce (about 2 tablespoons) soy sauce
• 2 pounds chicken thighs with bone (about 6 thighs)
• 2 quarts peanut oil
• 2 cups shredded cabbage, for serving
• 1 lemon, cut into wedges, for serving

Procedures

1. Thoroughly mix contents of one seasoning packet, buttermilk, and soy sauce. Place chicken pieces in zipper-lock bag and add buttermilk mixture. Seal bag, squeezing out as much air as possible. Let chicken rest at least 4 hours and up to overnight.
   
2. Crush two ramen bricks by hand into rough 1/4- to 1/8th-inch pieces. Transfer 3/4 of ramen pieces to a blender and blend until texture resembles coarse meal. Combine the ramen meal and ramen pieces in a wide, shallow dish. Take thighs one at a time from the buttermilk, allowing excess buttermilk to drip off and dredge them heavily in the ramen pieces. Carefully transfer to a wire rack set in a rimmed baking sheet.
   
3. Adjust oven rack to center position and preheat oven to 300°F. Heat oil in a large Dutch oven or wok to 325°F. Carefully transfer chicken pieces to oil and fry until golden brown on first side, about 3 minutes. Carefully flip and fry on second side until golden brown, about 2 minutes longer. Transfer to a wire rack set in a rimmed baking sheet and transfer to oven. Roast until chicken registers 170ºF on an instant read thermometer, about 10 minutes. Dust finished chicken with remaining seasoning packet. Serve immediately with cabbage and lemon wedges.