The weekend cook: how to make ramen at home

Ramen is the ultimate comfort food, but for something that seems so simple – it’s just broth, noodles and a few toppings, after all – it is quite involved. You could, of course, use ready-made noodles (many specialist Japanese and Asian food shops sell a wide range of both fresh and dried ramen noodles; failing that, use some thin Cantonese-style egg noodles, which you can get in any supermarket), though any self-respecting Japanese domestic cook will tell you that you can’t beat homemade (it’s no harder than fresh pasta). The broth is by far the most important element in any ramen: it’s what gives the dish its deep flavour. For today’s chicken ramen, for example, you make a simple stock, then concentrate it further. Don’t skip this second stage: it’s well worth the minimal extra effort, plus the smell of proper stock bubbling away in the kitchen beats a scented candle any day.

Roast chicken ramen

A great alternative to a Sunday roast. Don’t be put off by the long method: it is simple, if a bit time-consuming. Kansui is an agent that turns water alkaline, which, without going into too much science, is what gives Japanese noodles their characteristic elasticity, bite and golden hue. If you can’t find kansui, bake 20g sodium bicarbonate in a 200C oven for 45 minutes, until grainy (this turns it into sodium carbonate, a fine kansui substitute), and use 8g of that instead. The salt base is essentially the seasoning for the broth, and is best made at least a day in advance, to give the kombu a chance to work its umami magic. Serves four.
For the noodles, to make 600g (or use ready-made)
8g kansui (alkaline salts)
8g sea salt
175ml water
500g strong flour
For the salt base
1 tbsp sake
1 tsp soy sauce
1 5cm x 5cm sheet kombu (dried kelp)
1 tsp mirin
2 tsp rice vinegar
25g sea salt
75ml water
For the broth
2kg free-range chicken carcass (or wings and drumsticks)
200g spring onions
2 white onions, peeled and quartered
200g fresh ginger, peeled and sliced thin
2 cloves garlic, peeled and sliced thin
3 litres water
For the toppings
600g ramen noodles, homemade or readymade
1 free-range chicken
5g each salt and ground black pepper
4 free-range eggs
20ml rice vinegar
1 litre water
100g spring onions, trimmed, very finely shredded and washed
Start with the noodles, though if you’re using ready-made, you can just bypass this bit. Stir the kansui and salt in the water, to dissolve. Put the flour in a food processor with the kneading blade attached, and turn on. Slowly add the kansui solution, and mix for eight minutes, until the dough has the texture of fairly dry crumble.
Bring the dough into a ball, then divide into four. Working with one piece at a time, feed through a pasta machine, starting with the thickest setting and reducing the setting at each pass, until you have a 2mm-thick sheet. Pass through the thin spaghetti cutter on the machine and you will have perfect ramen noodles. Ideally, refrigerate them overnight: this helps to increase their elasticity. Put the salt base ingredients in a saucepan, slowly bring to a simmer, stirring to dissolve the salt, then turn off the heat and refrigerate, making sure the kombu is submerged.
Put half the solid ingredients for the broth in a large pan, add all the water and bring to a very gentle simmer; do not let it boil. Cook for two hours, skimming off froth as it surfaces, then pass through a sieve. Return to the pan, add the remaining solids, return to a low simmer and cook for two hours more, skimming as required. Pass through a sieve, and you’ll now have a lovely, rich broth.
Meanwhile, start on the toppings. Heat the oven to 180C/350F/gas mark 4. Season the chicken, roast in an oven tray for an hour or so, until cooked (pierce the thick part of the thigh with the tip of a sharp knife: if the juices run clear, it’s done), then rest for at least 20 minutes. Collect all the fat and juices from the tray.
Poach the eggs in gently simmering water with the rice vinegar for three minutes, until the whites are set and the yolks nice and runny, then drain.
Now you’re ready to serve: bear in mind that cooked noodles hate waiting around (the longer time passes, the less bite they will have), so you’ll have to be super-organised. Fill your largest pot with water and bring to a boil. Bring the broth back to a low simmer. Have ready four deep bowls, and pour a tablespoon of salt base into each. Carve the chicken into thin slices, ideally with some skin attached to each.
If you’re using homemade noodles, set the timer to 40 seconds and drop half the noodles into the boiling water, so they separate; if you’re using readymade, cook them according to the packet instructions. Ladle 350ml of hot broth into two of the bowls. When the noodles are cooked, lift them out of the water with a fine sieve, shake dry and divide between the two bowls. Repeat with the remaining broth and noodles, then top each portion with a few slices of chicken, a poached egg and a scattering of spring onion. Drizzle a teaspoon of the reserved fat over each bowl and serve.

Wild mushroom ramen