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    Ramen: Japanese Noodles & Small Dishes
    Ramen: Japanese Noodles & Small Dishes
    Ramen: Japanese Noodles & Small Dishes
    Ebook229 pages2 hours

    Ramen: Japanese Noodles & Small Dishes

    By Tove Nilsson

    5/5

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    About this ebook

    Picture a generous bowl filled to the brim with steaming hot broth. Its perfect surface intricately patterned with tiny droplets of oil; the flavour enhanced with algae, miso, dried fungi and fish sauce.

    Thin and springy noodles nestle in the base, while a sashimi-marinated cut of pork or chicken sits atop, the meat meltingly tender after up to 48 hours of simmering. A bobbing soya-marinated egg and an array of toppings add a colourful finishing touch.

    Tove Nilsson is a ramen addict. Every time she travels abroad, she is looking for her next ramen fix – a large bowl filled to the brim with steaming hot broth that’s been simmering for up to 48 hours; flavours boosted with dried mushrooms, seaweed, miso and dried fish, and many other delicious things.

    There are few dishes as addictive and universally popular as ramen. From backstreet Tokyo diners to the hottest establishments in LA, via the chic laid-back ramen bars of London’s Soho, you will find the most complex of flavour combinations, all in a single bowl. Including 50 mouth-watering recipes, from homemade broth and noodles to complementary dishes and sides such as udon, gyoza, pickles, okonomiyaki, and tempura, this cookbook will transport you to the vibrant streets of Japan via your own kitchen.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherHarperCollins UK
    Release dateOct 8, 2020
    ISBN9781911595335
    Ramen: Japanese Noodles & Small Dishes
    Author

    Tove Nilsson

    Tove Nilsson is a chef, food-writer and sommelier. She often writes for Sweden’s leading food magazines, takes part in the TV4 morning news programme and is often heard on radio where she shares her tastiest recipes and tells about the latest trends in the food world.

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    Reviews for Ramen

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    • 5/5
      This is a beautiful American cookbook about Japanes ramen, with a focus on making it accessible to cooks in America. It also includes other Japanese classics such as gyoza, tempura and okonomiyaki.

      This review is based on cooking the Osaka style okonomiyaki on page 140. What I like about the recipe is that minus the specialty ingredients like kewpie mayo, nori seaweed, and bonito flakes, which are optional, the base recipe uses ingredients that could be found in any American kitchen. While not 100% authentic, it provides an easy, accessible way to experience Japanese cuisine, which I prefer to absolute authenticity. There is no yamaimo in this recipe.

    Book preview

    Ramen - Tove Nilsson

    001

    BASICS

    Ramen is actually a pretty simple food. Good noodles, broth and toppings. But as with everything else that seems simple, attention to detail is key. The wheat noodles should have the right springiness and thickness, the broth should be aromatic and have depth and a bit of punch, and the topping should be simple but well executed. Pictured here is a selection of ramen baskets for sale and traditional Japanese dishes served at the large catering store Kappabashi in north Tokyo.

    illustrationillustrationillustration

    BROTH

    THE BROTH IS INCREDIBLY IMPORTANT IN A RAMEN. More important than the actual noodles. You can buy perfectly decent noodles in a shop, but finding a broth that beats one slowly simmered away at home is impossible.

    We can divide Japanese ramen broths into three different basic types. The first is a pure chicken broth that’s used for shio and shoyu ramen. It has a very clean taste and is made from just water and really good-quality chicken. The second is a broth made from both chicken and pork, where the flavours have been enhanced by adding dried mushroom, seaweed, miso and dried tuna to get a broth as deep and flavourful as possible. The last variety is the renowned tonkotsu: a broth cooked for up to 48 hours made from just pork and water, sometimes with a little onion added. The broth ends up milky white and thick from all the fat and collagen in the trotters and shanks. There are also broths made from fish and seafood but they are not as common.

    All the broths fall into two categories: kotteri, a rich broth with lots of flavour and texture; and assari, a lighter broth that is often quite clear and transparent. I love a thick kotteri broth with a base of tonkotsu that’s been flavoured with sesame and chilli.

    At the time of cooking the broth, you don’t season at all. Salt is only added when serving, and the amount depends on what the broth is flavoured with. All broths can be served as they are with just a pinch of salt, but they are usually flavoured with a tare (flavouring). A tare can be soy sauce, a spice paste or an oil. The exception is mushroom broth, which I usually add soy sauce and salt to just after cooking. It needs a bit of saltiness to not feel flat since it doesn’t contain any fat or other flavour carriers, unlike the meat broths.

    Many chefs, both in Japan and elsewhere, create their own ramen broths to put their unique stamp on the flavour. One example is the chef David Chang. At his renowned New York restaurant, Momofuku, they serve a ramen made from broth that has been boiled with everything you can imagine: beef, bone marrow, pork trotters, pork shanks, root vegetables, onion, smoky bacon, kombu, shiitake. The result is a broth extremely complex in flavour and some Japanese would probably feel a little uncomfortable if they knew the insane ingredient list. But at the same time, it’s the result that counts, and it is incredibly slurp-friendly.

    The main thing is to forget everything you’ve learnt about making broth and stock from the classic French kitchen. Stocks and broths that are simmered gently until you get a clear and almost transparent colour are, according to the Japanese, absolutely bonkers. Sieving the broth through muslin for a clear consommé also goes against all ramen thinking. You’re after all those bits that have broken away from the bones, meat and vegetables during cooking – all of which are nutrients that make the broth healthy and delicious.

    Many ramen broths, like tonkotsu, should boil and steam heavily to get the maximum amount of flavour and nutrients, while chicken broth should be cooked at a slightly lower heat.

    The secret behind a delicious broth is a long cooking time and quality ingredients.

    DASHI

    Despite its short ingredients list and zero cooking time, dashi has a deep, complex and slightly smoky flavour. The components are jam-packed with the magic taste, umami, that the Japanese are masters of: dried seaweed, dried smoked tuna and dried mushroom. You can mix dashi with another broth such as miso to use as a tare. When serving the dashi warm with noodles, udon and soba are the most popular choices. You can also mix dashi with soy sauce, grated daikon and spring onion to make a dipping sauce for soba noodles.

    MAKES APPROXIMATELY 2 LITRES/3½ PINTS/8 CUPS

    2 litres/3½ pints/8 cups cold water

    10 pieces of kombu seaweed (30g/1oz)

    20g/¾oz/1¾ cups bonito flakes

    10 dried shiitake mushrooms (15g/½oz)

    30g/1oz/scant ¼ cup dried white fish, optional

    salt

    1. Mix all the ingredients together in a large bowl. Cover with clingfilm or a lid. Leave to stand for 3–12 hours at room temperature. The longer you leave it the more intense flavour you will get. If it stands for 12 hours you might even have to dilute it with more water. But if you’re in a rush and need an emergency dashi, 3 hours will be

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