Spicy Miso Ramen

Playing with the variations, tonight its spicy miso ramen. Used some of the goodies that I've bought the last visit to Meidiya. Nice...



La-Yu is exceptionally fragrant. I assumed it was only chilli oil all these while but was proven wrong. As stated in the ingredients list it has sesame oil, corn oil, chili pepper, chili pepper extract, paprika color. Made by S&B.

The miso was conveniently packed in a squeeze bottle. So much easier to use compared to the usual tub ones. Made by Marukome a pretty commonly available brand in supermarkets.

The chilli powder aka Shichimi Togarashi is made by House Foods Corporation, Japan. Ingredients include red chili pepper, orange peel, sesame seeds, Japanese pepper, ginger and seaweed.

A bit of this and a bit of that and I got this.



Yummy!! Even the better half says so herself. Alas! :D

Oh and this time round, I used instant Korean ramen from Nong Shin. Those ramen are thicker and springier.

Ramen... ramen...

Again... hur hur hur... Konbu is killer... we were damn thirsty after last night's bowl and I'm damn thirsty now. Gotta reduce the amount of Konbu the next time. Down a pint of beer and I'm still thirsty...

I'm extremely pleased with the tamago and kakuni. Si beh song....

In pursuit of porkiness... Part 2

And the ramen is done! And now its called Tanahseng Yakibuta Kakuni Tamago Tonkotsu Ramen!!! Over the top!!! HOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!

Yakibuta is a bit wimpy cos the shoulder cut was a bit tiny and was from the tip of the block. Tamago looks cancerous but the yolk was nice and molten... too busy slurping em down for pictures... Now with roasted sesame seed and white leek... enhances the flavour even more. The tonkotsu broth this time has got more robust flavour and is silky smooth. Somehow the broth still taste a bit Chinese than Japanese even with the addition of konbu. How ah?



This is the Kakuni... bad photo, ugly presentation but I love it. nom nom nom nom nom.... Pork, the other white meat!


This is the ramen that I use. Bought this from Meidiya Liang Court, 2+ for 2 servings. Pretty decent feel and a good alternative to those instant noodles kind. Was looking around for fresh or dried ramen if any but most of it were the instant noodle kind. Saw a few very nicely packed ones, 4 portions for 20 odd dollars with some sorta famous ramen institution from Japan... hmmm some other time bah....

In pursuit of Porkiness...

or Khinzirness... hahaha... I never could accept the renaming of BABI or PIG or TER or Buta to Khinzir. The sound of it is already wrong. It doesn't sound right. We were born and bred to recognise that mud wallowing animal as BABI or PIG or TER, so don't come and tell us its KHINZIR. Fuck political correctness. Babi bukan Khinzir! I'm happy that there are people who share my same sentiments...

BABI BUKAN KHINZIR

Anyway...... pork bone soup was in my head again. With a vengeance, I got 4 big pork bones and 1 pork hock. More than doubled the pork content from first try!


A quick boil for around 3 minutes to get the scum and blood out and cleaned with running water.


Dumped the whole lot into my stock pot. This time round, no carrots and addition of white leek and spring onions.


After a few hours it looked like this.


After the next day, it looked like this. Was at Meidiya at Liang Court and got some konbu and other little stuff... wow konbu just makes a difference to the soup. Natural MSG! hur hur hur... Oh and Tanpopo is now one BIG restaurant at the ground floor. Opening today! Can't wait to visit them again.


Strained and filter and this time round I got 3 containers = 6 bowls worth! Much more robust and porky! But how come its still not WHITE like Santouka one har...


And then pan seared the marinated Yakibuta. This time round I used a smaller shoulder cut AND also a belly cut. Also modified the marinate ingredients to use less salt, added leek, mirin and a little bit of dark soy sauce.


After braising for 2 hours it looks like this.


Tonight we shall feast. Nom nom nom nom nom nom.........

OCD: Ramen fever Pt 3 FINALLY!

ahhh... was pretty excited this evening, can't wait to get it assembled. No beansprout, no menma... actually I bought a bottle of Spicy Chinese Bamboo shoot, the aroma was a real challenge but inside the mouth it tasted all right... but then... the aroma... urrrrrggghhh. I threw away the whole bottle.

Here is the outcome.... tadaaaa..... I call this the Tanahseng Yakibuta Ekstra Tamago Tonkotsu Ramen! Over the top! hahahaha....



The Tonkotsu soup was not robust enough. As expected not enough porky piggy creamy flavour and the carrots overpowered the taste. So gotta double the bones and half the carrots or maybe even drop it.

The Tamago was pretty ok. First time I did Tamago it went over the top SALTY, saltier the saltiest salty egg evaaah. This time round it was much more pleasant. I could knock another minute off the resting time for an even more soft yolk. Room temperature large eggs, 5 minutes slow simmer, flame off, 3 minutes rest and straight into chilled water to stop the cooking.

The Yakibuta was nice, tender and tasty. However the next time, I'd put in 3/4 tablespoon of salt instead of 1 and a bit less ginger. Will either use pork belly or a more fatty loin. Rolled up and Shibari'ed with the right Butcher's twill. hur hur hur... oh and I'd need a better sharper knife... hint hint hint...

All in all it was worth the effort and I will not flinch to attempt this again and again and again till I get it right. Next... home made ramen! But I better get back to my pedals backlog... no money no honey, BLEAH.

OCD: Ramen fever Pt 2

After all that boiling and reboiling and straining, I only got 2 measly container of Tonkotsu stock.



Taste wise, too much carrots and too little porky sweet taste. I'd double up the amount of pork and half the carrots plus dump in a chicken carcass or two the next time. Then... its not flavoured yet so I'll reserve my comments till tomorrow.

Braising time! Seared the marinated BDSM'ed pork loin on a pan. Slightly charred here and there due to the thickness of the rope as well as poor flame control. Must make a mental note to buy a ball of butcher's twine the next time I see it.



Dumped the whole seared BDSM'ed pork loin into a wok and added water + the rest of the leftover marinate. Braised for around 2 1/2 hours in low heat and got this.



I tasted a bit of the scraps while cutting the rope and it was damn YUMMY! Love it. Off into the fridge it went.

Strained scum/ginger/garlic/spring onions from the braising liquid. This was one of the times that I wished I still had my blender. Would've blended it instead of straining for more flavour. Oh well better luck next time... tasted the braising liquid and it was damn nice as well.



Boiled 3 eggs while hoping that the eggs yolks are not overcooked. Hate dry powdery cooked yolks. Poured the cooled reduced braising liquid over it and stored in the fridge as well.



Can't wait for tomorrow!

OCD: Ramen fever Pt 1

Ok... I have a confession to make. I think I've got a slight OCD. Obsessive compulsive disorder. Thats right...

Guitars. Pedals. Beer. Food. Pron. In no particular order. HA!

Actually it more like the diehard DIYer in me. Just gotta do it myself at least once. The current phase of the day now is ramen. No, not those in plastic packets and sachets of artificial flavourings you infidels. The real thing. Made with tons of love and pride, sweating out in the kitchen for a piping hot bowl of chewy noodles in thick milky pork broth garnished with slices of stewed pork, a whole stewed egg and with preserved bamboo shoots and sliced black fungus.

My first proper encounter with this comfort food from the land of the rising sun was at Marutama, The Central. Saw Chubby Hubby's post on it and just gotta go. Enjoyed the meal totally and was hungry for more. So, this is how they do it, I told myself. Ventured then to Tanpopo at Liang Court, Miharu at Gallery Hotel, Santouka at The Central and Noodle House Ken at Orchard Plaza. Ajisen though hated by many diehards of the elite ramen society is also acceptable by me. Beggars can't be choosers in housing estate shopping centers.

Anyways, nothing beats sitting right at the counter watching the chef does his magic and popping that steamy hot bowl of decadence for my slurping pleasure.

So now... being much old and long winded, I'm attempting to make some at home myself.

Got a pack of Ajisen's noodles a few days back from their restaurant at 5 buckaroos. Good for 2 servings I'd say plus I actually like the texture of Ajisen's ramen. Searched online for tonkotsu broth recipe at got to Chubby Panda's blog with his Niko Niku Ramen recipe.

What else is there to do but to at least adapt the recipe to my kitchen and try it out.

Ingredients laid out in a rectangular Pyrex bowl prior to baking at 175 deg C for an hour or so.



2 big pork bone and a bunch of short rib bones
2 large carrots
1 yellow onion
1 bulb garlic
1 piece of dried sole fish
A few table spoon of Hua Tiao Jiu for "deglazing" whatever that was leftover on the glass bowl.

On hindsight, I shouldn't have been so lazy thinking about how to avoid washing the big baking tray by using that glass bowl cos the stuff were all piled up on top of each other. I'll get a smaller baking tray soon.

After baking for an hour or so. This is what I've got. Didn't want to brown it too much as I'd prefer a milky looking soup stock rather than a brownish one.


Threw the whole bunch into my stock pot, added water just enough to cover it and brought it up to boil. Once boiling, transfer to a smaller hob and slowly simmer. Its still simmering as I'm typing this. 3 hours already and still counting. Gonna boil this to DETH for a few days! hur hur hur... Though most ramen shops have this magical 8 hours... hmmm... huat ah!

Preparing the Yakibuta or otherwise known as Cha Shu marinate.



An inch and a half ginger chopped
2 cloves of garlic crushed
A bunch of spring onions chopped
A table spoon of sugar
A tablespoon of salt
A few black pepper seed crushed

Threw the whole bunch into a bowl and mixed with the following

5 tablespoon of superior soy sauce
5 tablespoon of cooking sake
5 tablespoon of Hua Tiao Jiu
1 tablespoon of cooking oil

This is the pork loin that I bought. Can't find fresh pork in the supermarkets of a good size, so bought this frozen one. This is the picture of it before going thro my amateur art of Japanese bondage... hur hur hur...



And after going thro a BDSM session... hur hur hur....



Couldn't find any BUTCHER TWINE so went with a BOILED packing rope. Dunno got what chemicals inside that rope, don't care lah... boil it for 10 minutes and rinse for quite a bit. My first attempt in Bondage... I mean doing a roast tie. Fun. On hindsight yet again... I should have halved the pork loin across and do a little roll, fats inside, macam how the ramen shop do it. Next time ba....

And poured the marinate and meat into a ziplock bag and marinating this overnight.



Tomorrow then sear and then braise. Will do the stewed eggs as well.

Making a bowl of ramen is truly a labour of love. Lets hope something tasty will come out of this... I'm already thinking of making my own noodles.... ahhhh.....