If you follow this blog, you probably know that I love ramen, this Japanese noodle soup dish that has been very popular the past few years. There are lots of great places in New York, and the first restaurant where I tried ramen was Momofuku Noodle Bar, one of the places of the famous Chef David Chang. Then, I took few classes at the Institute of Culinary Education (ICE) in New York City, where they taught how to make broths and various dishes with noodles. That is when I decided to try to make my own version, based on what I have eaten so far. Here is what I did:

Time: 5 hours (most of the time is for the broth)

Servings: 2 (the broth itself serves probably 10)

Ingredients:

For the broth:

• 4 carrots
• 2 potatoes (I used russet potatoes)
• 4 celery 
• 3 lb pork bones
• 1 lb chicken wings (I used wings because I could not find bones and it is then the cheapest alternative)
• 2 tablespoons of olive oil
• 3 teaspoons of salt

For the soup:

• 1 cabbage
• A can of sweet corn
• 6 oz pasta (I bought ramen at Bed Bath and Beyond)
• Roasted seaweed (also found at Bed Bath and Beyond)
• 2.5 oz of enoki mushrooms
• 5 oz shiitake mushrooms
• 1 tablespoon of butter
• scallions
• 2 eggs
• 2 tea spoons of soy sauce

Step 1: preparation of the broth

The preparation of the broth takes most of the time, but only if you decide to make your own. Otherwise, you can use an already made broth.

First, put the pork bones and wings in the oven for 30 minutes, at 375 degrees Fahrenheit, with 2 tablespoons of olive oil.

At the same time the meat is cooking, cut the potatoes, carrots and celery in large cubes.

Once the meat is cooked, put it in a large pot with the vegetables and 16 cups of water. Add the salt. Cook first on high heat and then, when it starts boiling, on low heat for 4 hours.

Once this is done, you need to strain the broth, removing every bit of meat and vegetables. To do so, I use a cheese cloth that will also remove any impurities.

There will definitely be a lot of broth. So, keep 4 cups for the ramen and freeze the rest.

Step 2: assemble the soup

First, cook the enoki and shiitake mushrooms in a pan, with 1 tablespoon of butter for 20 minutes.

Cook the noodles per the instructions. Cut the cabbage (I used approximately 1.5 cup) and the scallions. 

Put the cabbage, mushrooms and noodles in the bottom of the serving bowls, then, put the pork belly (see recipe here), half a cup of corn, and the boiled eggs (I boiled them for 7 minutes that was too long...).

Then, add the soy sauce in the 4 cups of broth and pour 2 cups per bowl. Add 2 squares of seaweed and the scallions. Et voilà!

Bon Appétit!