Ramen Broth and Add-Ins

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Broth freezes beautifully. I package it in 16 ounce containers for easy thawing. Reheat the broth and season it highly with soy and/or miso paste before using. For spicy ramen bowls, dissolve a tablespoon or two of Korean gochujang chili paste in the hot broth. It'll make you perspire on a warm day — trust me, it's worth it.

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Ingredients

  • Slow-cooker roasted broth:
  • 15 15 minutes
  • 45 8 minutes, plus 8 hours in the slow cooker
  • 8 about 8 cups
  • 3 to 4 Simmer the bones with the kombu water and remaining ingredients in a large pot, stirring often, with the lid partly covering the pot, for 3 to 4 hours.
  • 1 1/2 1 1/2 1/2 pounds chicken wings, separated at their joints
  • 1 1/2 1 1/2 1/2 pounds pork neck bones
  • 4 4 4 green onions, chopped
  • 2 2 2 dried shiitake mushrooms, broken
  • 1/4 1/4 1/4 cup sake or Chinese rice wine (or dry white vermouth)
  • Grilled chicken ramen bowls:
  • 30 30 minutes
  • 10 10 minutes
  • 2 2 servings
  • 4 4 4 cups slow-cooker roasted bone broth or shortcut broth, see recipes
  • 2 2 2 tablespoons shiro miso, optional
  • 1 to 2 1 to 2 to tablespoons soy sauce to taste
  • 1 to 3 1 to 3 3 tablespoons chili paste or Korean gochujang, optional
  • 1/2 1/2 1/2 cup thinly sliced fresh shiitake mushroom caps (no stems)
  • 3 3 5 medium egg noodle nests, about 5 ounces total
  • 2 2 2 grilled shichimi chicken thighs, see recipe, thinly sliced
  • 1 1 1 soy wasabi hard-cooked egg, see recipe, halved
  • 2 2 2 radishes, very thinly sliced
  • 1/4 1/4 1/4 cup sliced bamboo shoots
  • 2 2 2 green onions, charred in a skillet or chopped
  • Small handful Small handful fresh bean sprouts
  • Chopped fresh cilantro
  • Shichimi togarashi
  • Grilled shichimi chicken:
  • Shichimi togarashi, a Japanese chili pepper spice blend, is sprinkled on chicken thights before grilling. (Michael Tercha / Chicago Tribune)
  • Grilled shichimi chicken thighs
  • 5 5 minutes
  • 12 12 minutes
  • 4 4 servings
  • 4 to 6 4 to 6 6 medium boneless chicken thighs
  • Japanese shichimi togarashi
  • Sesame seeds
  • Finely sliced green onions

Preparation

Step 1

For the Slow-cooker roasted broth:

1 Heat oven to 400 degrees. Put wings and bones on a large baking sheet in an uncrowded layer. Roast, turning once or twice, until golden brown on all sides, about 45 minutes.

2 Meanwhile, if using the kombu, heat 10 cups water and the kombu to a boil in a large saucepan. Simmer about 10 minutes. Then let steep while the bones finish browning. Use tongs to remove and discard the kombu.

3 Transfer the bones with all their pan drippings to a large (4-quart) slow cooker. Add kombu water (or 10 cups fresh water if not using the kombu) and the remaining ingredients. Cover and slow-cook on low, 8 hours.

4 Strain broth into a container. Refrigerate covered up to 1 week. Freeze up to several months.

Shortcut broth: Simmer 1 quart of store-bought chicken, vegetable or seafood broth (check out your local butcher's house-made broth if possible) with 2 tablespoons of mirin or dry vermouth, 1 or 2 tablespoons miso paste, 1 or 2 thin slices fresh ginger and 1 or 2 teaspoons soy sauce in a saucepan for 10 minutes. Strain before using.

For the Grilled chicken ramen bowls:

1 Heat broth in small saucepan until hot. Season to taste with miso, soy sauce and chili paste. The broth should be highly seasoned. Add mushrooms and simmer over low heat.

2 Have all the remaining ingredients ready and near the cooking surface. Fill 2 deep soup bowls with very hot water to heat the bowls.

3 Meanwhile, for noodles, heat a large pot of salted water to a boil. Drop noodles into the water; cook, stirring, until al dente (tender but still a bit firm in the center), about 3 minutes. Use tongs or a slotted wire basket to remove noodles to a plate. Save the cooking water for later.

4 When ready to serve, bring the noodle cooking water to a boil again and dunk the noodles back in to reheat, about 20 seconds. Dump the hot water out of the soup bowls. Divide the hot noodles between the heated bowls. Top each with half of the sliced chicken, egg, radish, bamboo shoots, green onions and bean sprouts. Gently ladle hot broth over all. Sprinkle with cilantro. Serve right away. Pass the pepper blend at the table.

Soy-wasabi eggs: Mix 3 tablespoons soy sauce and 1 teaspoon wasabi paste in a small dish. Add 2 peeled hard-cooked eggs. Let soak, turning eggs often, 10 to 20 minutes until eggs are golden in color. Remove from soy bath.

For the Grilled shichimi chicken:

1 Heat a gas grill or prepare a charcoal grill to medium heat. (Or heat a broiler to medium high.)

2 Meanwhile, generously sprinkle chicken thighs on all sides with shichimi.

3 Grill chicken directly over the heat source (or on a pan set 8 inches from the broiler), turning once, until almost firm when pressed with your finger or a spatula, usually 10 to12 minutes. Remove from grill. Sprinkle generously with sesame seeds and green onions.


Variations:

Here are some other ideas for additions to your ramen bowl:

•Pan-seared, sliced, fully cooked pork belly (look for this in Trader Joe's refrigerated section)

•Thinly sliced roasted pork or grilled country-style pork ribs

•Grilled or steamed shrimp, peeled

•Grilled or pan-seared pieces of superfirm tofu

•Grilled or pan-charred sliced sweet onion or whole green onions or knob onions

•Grilled or broiled sliced eggplant seasoned with soy sauce

•Fresh mung bean sprouts and bamboo shoots

•Steamed peapods

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