My only experience with ramen up until our trip was eating the packaged, sodium laden processed stuff that screamed "dorm room, hot plate" and brought back memories of having $15 dollars to do two weeks worth of grocery shopping. There were lots and lots of Top Ramen Chicken flavored noodles in my pantry during those lean times.
Skip forward to a trip to Japan with my 2nd son. We somehow found plane tickets for around $700 round trip, so we pulled the trigger and planned a 3 week trip to Shibuya, Japan in Tokyo.
What an amazing city! So fun, busy and exciting. It is a mix of new age meets ancient Japan that just can't be described. It is a place you simply must take some time to visit to truly understand. Trust me on this.
My first taste of real ramen was a unique experience. How we found places to eat was by walking around. Each day we walked everywhere, exploring the city. We put in around 9-13 miles a day. If we saw a long line of locals, it was probably the place to eat. We would look it up on Trip Advisor and head on in. Our first ramen went like this: down a flight of stairs to a machine very similar to an old cigarette machine, where we placed our order, grabbed a ticket and waited.
After a bit, we were led to a a bar that looked much like the study booths in a college library. A little window was in front and you handed the ticket to a man on the other side. A few minutes later he would slide a bowl of heaven through the window into your foodie soul.
Every ramen place has its own style and flavor. This one was more like a bar, and you could interact with the cooks a bit.
My favorite was one we stumbled across by following a sign to the 4th floor of a building. It looked like someones apartment, converted to a lovely little restaurant that had 4 tables and floor to ceiling windows that opened up to the street below. The ramen was very light, with a lemon, ginger and pork broth, topped with lemon rind shavings. It was my favorite by far of all the bowls we devoured during our stay.
I have not found ramen like this since our return to the states. I have found some that I like, but they just do not put the hours of preparation into the stock that the Japanese do. One place in Shibuya served dipping noodles that simply were to die for. The cook told us that the sauce was cooked for over 14 hours. Unreal flavor.
So the other day I was craving Japan. We won't be able to head back there until my youngest son graduates in 2 years, so I decided to make my own.
I looked up recipes, and got some ideas, but my taste buds kept remembering the lemon-ginger broth and I wanted to try and get as close to that flavor as possible.
This is what I came up with. It is not exact at all. The one I had in japan had pork in it, but I wanted something light that day, so no meat. It is more an eyeballed, taste testing experiment, but I will do my best to put it in writing.
4 cups vegetable or chicken broth
the juice of two lemons
about an inch of ginger, diced very small
1/2 to 1 cup slices mushrooms
1-2 green onions, sliced including bulb and greens.
ramen type noodles (eyeball how much. Too many will reduce the broth and that is not what you want. You want lots of broth.)
large handful of bean sprouts
one egg for each person.
sriracha on the side
To a pot, add 4 cups of broth. Add lemon juice, ginger, onion and mushrooms. Bring to a gentle boil. Reduce heat to low and allow to simmer on stove for 45 minutes to an hour. Taste. Add salt if desired. Or more lemon. Or less lemon. Play with it and get it to your taste. Add the noodles and cook for around 15 minutes or so.
Now, crack an egg into a small ramekin bowl. Make sure the soup is not boiling, but very hot. Lower the bowl to just at the surface of the liquid and gently pour the egg into the soup. Do the same for the other eggs. Do not stir or boil. Place lid on and allow eggs to soft set.....I, yet again, eyeballed this. I like mine runny, but thick. You want the white to cook solid but the yolk to be soft.
When the eggs are done to your liking, remove them with a slotted spoon to each bowl. Ladle the broth into the bowl and then add noodles and veggies. Top with lots of bean sprouts and lemon rind shavings and dig in!
