J's Ramen

This ramen recipe is for our dear, fun Kiddo.He expressed an interest in making soft-boiled eggs; ramen seemed the perfect choice to showcase this element, especially as he loves ramen.  It's been modified to work for our family's dietary needs and cobbled together from these source recipes. (Ramen, menma) His assignment was to follow a recipe outside his comfort zone and because it is made up of multiple components, the parts are paced over two days to ensure we had enough time to complete: the concentrated shoyu base and menma on the first day, and the soft-boiled eggs and ramen soup on the second. 

Shoyu Ramen with soft-boiled egg and menma (marinated bamboo shoots)

Part One: Shoyu Base
Ingredients for Shoyu Base:(make the day before)

1 piece kombu (wiped with a damp cloth)

2 1/2 cups shoyu

2 cups water

1 Tablespoon and 1 teaspoon kosher salt

1 1/4 cups katsuobushi (dried bonito flakes)

Prep shoyu base by combining all ingredients in a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer (low or med low setting) for 10 minutes, then strain through the fine-mesh strainer (the cone-shaped one). Makes one quart, enough for 4-5 batches of ramen soup. Store in a sterilized 1 quart jar for up to one week. 


Part Two: Menma, marinated bamboo shoots

Menma ingredients:
1/2 cup bamboo shoots
2 cups water
1/2 cup teriyaki sauce
1/4 cup mirin (or cooking sherry)
1 handful bonito flakes

Combine all ingredients except for bonito flakes in a saucepan.  Bring to boil over medium-high heat and then add in bonito flakes. Reduce heat and simmer for 25 minutes. Remove from heat, let cool, and then store bamboo and liquid together in the refrigerator up to a week. 

Part Three: Soft-boiled Eggs
ingredients: water and as many eggs as you want to cook

Bring a medium saucepan halfway full of water to a boil. Using a slotted spoon, gently lower eggs into boiling water, then decrease the heat to a gentle boil. Prepare a large bowl of ice water nearby. Cook eggs for 6-6 1/2 minutes. Transfer cooked eggs to ice bath and let cool a few minutes before peeling. 

Step Four: The Ramen Soup

3 packets ramen noodles

4 cups of chicken broth

3 cups of water

About 3/4 cup of the concentrated shoyu base

Last stage: In a large pot combine chicken broth and 3 cups water, adding shoyu base gradually* and to taste with the other liquids. Once you feel the flavors are correct, bring to a boil. Add in ramen, bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer until noodles are tender but still springy. Divide into bowls, add in menma and soft-boiled eggs. Serve immediately. 

*We found that 3/4 of a cup was plenty; we also used bone broth and not regular chicken broth due to dietary considerations, so the salt/flavor may differ as the bone broth has no salt added.