Spicy Chicken Ramen
I received this recipe last August from a kindred spirit in cooking and passion for flavors. Since then, I've had it on my mind. It seems fussy if you go by the long list of ingredients, but when you get to work you'll see everything goes quite easily and quickly, if you've stocked up on all the ingredients ahead of time. Most are ingredients that keep well in the refrigerator and are found in many Asian recipes on my site. Plus, this technique of flavoring soup with different infusions and concentrated mixtures will open your imagination to your own combinations. You'll see, it's worth trying the recipe - you'll learn a lot. So... have I convinced you? Who's in?
Ingredients
Aromatic Chicken Broth
1.5kg chicken for soup (I used a free-range chicken, without one thigh and without breast)
11 cups water
50g ginger
3 green onion stalks
1 small white onion
2 carrots (optional)
1/2 bunch parsley (optional)
Soup Base
75g concentrated dashi broth
10g salt
1 teaspoon sake (I didn't have it, I omitted)
1 teaspoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon mirin
1 teaspoon rice vinegar
Marinated Eggs
150ml soy sauce
10g sugar
5g salt
1 green onion stalk
25ml sake (I didn't have it, I used 1 teaspoon rice vinegar)
2 tablespoons concentrated dashi broth
350ml water
6 soft-boiled eggs
Aromatic Spicy Oil
150ml oil
50ml sesame oil
3 garlic cloves
3 small hot peppers (or 1 long red hot pepper)
1 green onion
1/2 small white onion (30g)
10g Shichimi Togarashi (or chili flakes)
2 teaspoons sugar
1 teaspoon salt
20ml soy sauce
25g white miso paste
For Serving
1 green onion stalk per serving
50-60g wide egg noodles per serving
Servings: 5-6
How to prepare spicy chicken ramen
- All components can be prepared ahead and stored in the refrigerator. Once you have the components ready, you can assemble only as many servings as you're serving at that moment. Concentrated dashi broth can be prepared from 150ml homemade/store-bought dashi broth, simmered until reduced by half. I prepared it from a packet of dashi powder dissolved in 100g of hot water. This amount is enough to use for the soup base and marinated eggs.
- Chicken broth: wash the meat well in cold water, then place in a large pot together with the water. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to medium-low. Skim the broth until no more foam forms on top (takes about 1/2 hour). At that point, add the thickly sliced ginger, green onion cut into segments, white onion cut in half, carrots cut into large pieces, and whole parsley. Reduce heat to low so the broth simmers gently, and continue cooking for another 2 hours. When the broth is done, strain it and keep in a pot in the refrigerator. Pull the meat off the bones and shred it. Store separately in the refrigerator.
- Concentrated base: put all ingredients in a small bowl and heat gently, stirring, just until the salt dissolves. Add 2 tablespoons of concentrated dashi broth. Transfer to a small jar and let cool.
- Marinated eggs: lower the eggs into boiling water; lower them slowly so they don't crack. Boil for 6.5 minutes from that moment. The idea is to get eggs with a slightly soft (runny) yolk. After cooling, peel them. In a small bowl, mix the remaining marinade ingredients and heat gently, stirring until the salt and sugar dissolve. Transfer the marinade to a container with a lid and place the eggs in the marinade. Refrigerate for at least 24 hours.
- Aromatic oil: in a small pan, put the oil, finely chopped garlic, finely chopped peppers, green onion sliced into rounds, and white onion diced. Heat gently over low heat and leave on heat for 15 minutes. Monitor the mixture so the vegetables don't burn.
- In a small bowl, mix the Shichimi Togarashi, sugar, salt, soy sauce, and miso until you get a homogeneous paste.
- When the oil is done, let it cool for 1 minute and pour it over the paste above. Mix well for 2 minutes. Store in the refrigerator - the flavor will intensify if it sits for a while.
- Finally, we're ready to assemble. For 1 serving:
- Cook the noodles in salted water according to package directions. Drain them, then cut in a few places with scissors to make them easier to eat.
- Chop 1 young green onion stalk
- Heat 350g chicken broth. Gradually add the soup base, tasting until you like the flavor and it's salty enough (I added 2 tablespoons of soup base).
- In a small pan, put 50-100g shredded chicken and 1 tablespoon of solids from the bottom of the spicy oil jar. Add 1 tablespoon of spicy oil too. Heat the meat, stirring frequently.
- Cut 1 marinated egg in half
In a bowl, place half the meat, then place the noodles on top, and the rest of the meat strips over them. Pour the hot broth. Sprinkle green onion on one side. Place one or two egg halves, being careful they stay on top. Drizzle 1-2 teaspoons of spicy oil on top. Serve immediately.
