Trashi Shoyu Ramen
Prep Time
3 Hours
Wait Time
24 Hours
Cook Time
20 Minutes
Ingredients List
For Chashu Pork and Tare
- 1 to 3 pounds pork belly
- 1 cup soy sauce
- 1/3 cup Mirin (Rice Wine)
- 1/3 cup sake
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 1 tablespoon of minced garlic
- 1 inch of minced ginger (1 tbsp)
- 1 cup of water
For Main Broth and Accoutrements
- 1 quart of Chicken Broth
- Fresh Ramen Noodles
- 1 inch of minced ginger (or 1 tbsp of pre-minced)
This is a quick and dirty ramen semi-homeade recipe that is only as good as the ingredients you source, hardcore noodle heads leave now, you've been warned.
You can usually distinct most types of ramen by 5 different elements: the Tare, broth, noodles, toppings, and an aromatic oil. Two very important elements in this equation are the umami filled Tare, and the main broth that helps to balance out the bowl. This recipe uses a flavorful soy sauce based pork Tare taken from the Chashu making process to elevate store bought stock, drastically reducing the time needed to prepare this recipe (i.e. real ramen). This recipe can be made same day if necessary, with a 3 hour period for cooking your chashu pork and tare, at least a 4 hour period for it to chill (preferably overnight though) and roughly an 30 minutes to an hour to assemble your accoutrements and bowls. A key element for this recipe is to have access to good fresh Ramen noodles from an asian market or superstore like H-mart or C-mart, you could also opt to make your own. Just like the noodles, the higher quality the ingredients used to make the Chashu pork and Tare, the more flavorful it will be.
Making the Chashu Pork and the Tare
1
Start by preheating your oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit.
2
Pour the soy sauce, water, mirin, sake, sugar, garlic, and ginger into a braising pot and mix to combine. If you are using slices of pork belly, gently submerge them into the liquid. If you are using a belly slab: tie up your pork belly using the instruction guide below, then brown it on all sides in the braising pot before you put your ingredients in.
How to tie a pork belly roll
Lay out string with a loop on one end underneath your roll.
Thread the free lines through the loop over the center of the roll.
Pull tightly outwards to secure the string within the loop.
Use your finger to hold the string where you want the next knot to be.
Wrap the free line under the roll and tuck the string under it to tie a knot.
Once you've created a line of knots on both sides, flip the roll.
Bring the two lines together tightly over the top.
Finish your package with a bow, cut off excess string.
3
Once your pork and liquids are in the pot, place the pot into the oven for 3 hours, low and slow.
4
After 3 hours, remove your pork from the oven and let it rest until you can handle the pot safely. The Tare that you'll use for your ramen is the brown braising liquid your pork is sitting in! This stuff is liquid gold. The next step will be to chill everything overnight to let the fats solidify for easy skimming later. If you cooked a wrapped pork slab, you can stick the whole pot in the fridge overnight. If you're working with slices it'll be easier for you to remove your pork first and place them in a container to chill. After that you can either place the whole pot in the fridge, or pour the liquids into a separate container to chill.
Prepping the Tare
5
After your Chashu and Tare have chilled overnight (or long enough for the fat to solidify into a layer at the top), skim off the top layer of fat. You can probably use this for other stuff, but feel free to discard it. The real prize is the brown liquid underneath. After you've skimmed the tare, place it back in the fridge until you're ready to assemble.
Prepping accoutrements (optional)
6
Accoutrements are optional for this recipe, we'll focus on prepping the Chashu we've made. If you made the Chashu in a roll, it cuts best if chilled. Snip the twine from around the roll, and then cut thin slices vertically. Before you put your Chashu into the ramen, you should brulee it with a culinary torch. If you don't have a torch, you can also heat them up in a non-stick frying pan.
Other toppings that could be considered for this dish would be things like an Ajitama egg, some bamboo shoots, nori (seaweed) sheets, corn, butter, scallions, and some woodear or enoki mushrooms.
The final addition to prepare would be some kind of chili oil for your ramen if you like things spicy. The crunchy chili oil recipe is a lifesaver, or you can grab some from your local asian supermarket (not from amazon though) (or grab some Momofuku crunchy chili oil).
Assembly and serving
7
Now is the time to bring everything together. Make sure to have bowls and toppings at the ready before starting your stock or cooking your noodles.
8
Heat the chicken stock in a pot on a stove over medium high heat until simmering. Start a separate pot of salted water to boil for the noodles. While everything comes up to temperature, pour about 1/4 cup of the Chashu broth into each bowl you'll serve. If it's still chilled, you can pop the bowls in the microwave for 30 seconds to get it nice and warm.
9
Once the broth is simmering and your noodle water is boiling, cook your ramen for about 3 minutes. If you're using fresh ramen, it may cook in less time, so make sure to test for texture while you wait.
10
After your ramen is tender, spoon a few ladels of broth into each bowl, along with a portion of ramen. Place a few slices of bruleed Chashu on top, along with any other toppings you've prepared.
