Serves 1
Directions
- 1Combine 600ml Marudaizu Koikuchi Shoyu and 65ml Hon Mirin in a container and let it sit at room temperature for one week.
- 2After a week, add about 20g of kombu and two dried shiitake mushrooms to the soy and mirin mixture, and let it steep overnight.
- 3The next day, pour the tare into a pot and heat it up to 80 degrees Celsius.
- 4When the tare reaches 80 degrees Celsius, remove the kombu and shiitake, then turn off the heat.
- 5Add 10g of natural salt (like sea salt) to the tare and stir to dissolve with the residual heat.
- 6Once the tare has cooled to room temperature, add 20ml of Thai fish sauce.
- 7Trim the toenails off 5 pounds (2.5 kilograms) of chicken feet using kitchen scissors, then cut an 'x' into the palm of each foot.
- 8Remove all guts from inside two whole chickens, scraping out any embedded between the ribs, then lightly rinse the inside with running water.
- 9Make cuts all around the chicken, along the thigh, wings, breast, and back, to help extract more flavor.
- 10Place only the whole chickens into a giant pot and add 8 to 9 liters of water, ensuring the chickens are covered with enough extra water to accommodate the chicken feet later.
- 11Turn on the heat and bring the water to a boil.
- 12When the water is boiling, skim off the scum, waiting until it clumps together for easier removal.
- 13Stick a wooden spoon into the chicken's cavity and swirl to bring out any hidden scum.
- 14Once all scum is removed, add the prepped chicken feet and a large handful of rinsed chicken skin.
- 15Lower the heat and bring the stock to around 95 degrees Celsius (203 degrees Fahrenheit), keeping it at a bare simmer.
- 16Place a lid on the pot, keeping it slightly cracked, and let the stock cook for a minimum of six hours (preferably eight to twelve hours), ensuring it never boils.
- 17Soak 50g of kombu and 25g of shiitake mushrooms in 5 liters of water overnight in the fridge for the dashi.
- 18The next day, heat the dashi pot on the stove to 60 degrees Celsius (140 degrees Fahrenheit).
- 19When the dashi reaches 60 degrees Celsius, remove the kombu and shiitake.
- 20Bring the dashi up to 90 degrees Celsius (194 degrees Fahrenheit) and skim off any scum.
- 21At 90 degrees Celsius, add about 65g of katsuobushi (preferably thick-cut) and turn off the heat to let it steep.
- 22Taste the dashi after about 5 minutes of steeping, and once it has a smoky, fishy katsuobushi flavor, strain it out.
- 23Finely dice 100g of shallots, finely mince 25g of garlic, 25g of ginger, and 25g of the white part of green onions.
- 24Heat 250ml of vegetable oil in a pot and add all the diced and minced aromatics.
- 25Fry the aromatics at medium-low heat until they are almost burned and all moisture has evaporated, stirring continuously.
- 26Once the aromatics reach a deep brown color, remove them from the heat immediately and strain the oil.
- 27Spread the fried aromatics on a paper towel-lined plate or tray to dry and crisp up; this is called agenegi.
- 28After the chicken stock has cooked for about seven hours, skim off the chicken fat (chiyu) floating at the surface of the soup using a ladle or spoon, possibly removing some chicken feet for better access.
- 29Carefully strain the soup into a second equally large pot.
- 30Cut half a head of napa cabbage into two-inch squares, cut one bulb of garlic in half, and peel and thinly slice 50g of ginger.
- 31Bring the strained soup back up to 95 degrees Celsius and add the prepped aromatics.
- 32Keep the soup above 90 degrees Celsius and steep the aromatics for 15 minutes, then strain the soup again.
- 33Add 100ml of dashi and 200ml of chicken stock into a small pot to heat up (or a larger pot with the same ratios for multiple servings).
- 34Add 20ml of tare and 10ml of chiyu into a heated bowl.
- 35When the soup in the small pot begins to simmer, cook your ramen noodles.
- 36When the noodles are almost done cooking, add 300ml of hot soup into your bowl.
- 37Once noodles are done, strain them very well and add them into your bowl.
- 38Top with chashu, spinach, menma, green onions, agenegi, kamaboko, and nori.
- 39Finally, add 5 to 10ml of the shallot oil into the bowl.
Ingredients
- 600 ml Marudaizu Koikuchi Shoyu (丸大豆 醤油)
- 65 ml Hon Mirin
- 10 g Aged Sea Salt
- 20 ml Thai Fish Sauce
- 2 Whole Chickens
- 5 lbs Chicken Feet
- 8 L Water
- handful Chicken skin
- 0.5 head Napa Cabbage, cut into two-inch squares
- 1 bulb Garlic, cut in half
- 50 g Ginger, peeled with a spoon and then sliced lengthwise as thinly as possible
- 5 L Water
- 50 g Ma Konbu
- 25 g Dried Shiitake mushrooms
- 65 g Katsuobushi
- 250 ml Vegetable Oil
- 100 g Shallots, finely diced
- 25 g Ginger, finely minced
- 25 g Garlic, finely minced
- 25 g White part of green onions, finely minced
- 100 ml Dashi
- 200 ml Chicken Stock
- 20 ml Tare
- 10 ml Chiyu
- 5 ml Shallot Oil
- Noodles
- Chashu
- Spinach
- Menma
- Green onions
- Narutomaki
- Age Negi
- Nori
Equipment
Large pots (at least 12 quart)Kitchen scissorsSharp knifeThermometer with temperature alarmLidStoveLadleFat separatorStrainerSmall potHeated bowlPaper towel lined plate or tray
Tips
- The tare requires sitting for one week at room temperature for optimal flavor.
- The animal-based soup requires very large pots and a long cooking time (6-12 hours).
- Maintain the chicken stock at a bare simmer, just under boiling (around 95 degrees Celsius/203 degrees Fahrenheit), using a thermometer with an alarm.
- Do not over-steep katsuobushi in the dashi as it can make it sour; taste as it steeps.
- Frying aromatics for the shallot oil is crucial; avoid frying too little (raw taste) or too much (burnt taste). Stir continuously.
- Harvesting chiyu (chicken fat) after the stock has cooked allows for a more 'chickeny' flavor.
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