When I go to a restaurant, reality bursts my bubble, not because the food is bad, but because I know it’s hard to recreate at home. This dilemma rings true in something as complex as restaurant ramen, which takes hours to simmer and develop flavor with specialty ingredients. Here I found a way to make ramen with seven grocery store ingredients. Finally, dreams of a home-cooked restaurant-style meal are fulfilled!
Frugality and stretching are the names of the game with this ramen recipe. The channel Pro Home Cooks shows even limited ingredients still bring maximum flavor to the dish.
The end parts of the scallions and bok choy get tossed in a pot with the chicken bones and a few slices of ginger simmering together to make a complex broth. This is the part that takes the longest, clocking in at twenty-five minutes.
Next in another pot, the fat renders from the chicken thighs’ skins, and then the thighs are removed from the pan. That doesn’t mean you are done with the pan, the fat is a great ingredient because the remaining ginger is peeled and sliced, and caramelized in the fat. Now you may be thinking that ginger in both the stock and the garnishing oil is too intense, but the ginger gives off two different flavors. The ginger in the broth is a little spicy, while the caramelized ginger is a little sweet. Don’t throw this caramelized ginger out, save it for later!
Into the sauté pan, whisk in the miso paste, scraping the golden brown bits off the bottom and sides of the pan. This is where the magic happens. When you generally have miso soup, the mixture separates, and you have to stir everything back together. But when you add a bit of fat into the equation, you get a broth that’s next level. Rich and smooth, but how? The fat acts as an emulsifier, keeping the miso paste and the broth in solution.
Once you whisk the stock into the miso paste, refill the pot with water and bring it to a simmer. No worries if it still has the stock ingredients floating around — those ingredients are hearty and still have flavor and will infuse those tastes into the next round of food. Cooking the eggs, bok choy, and noodles in the water, not the broth, gives you a clean textural bite and ensures that each component has the right consistency and bite. As the eggs and vegetables are cooking, separate the crispy skin from the chicken thigh meat and chop it into small pieces. Mixing the skin and caramelized minced ginger is the perfect textural variation against the soft and boiled ingredients.
Once everything is cooked and ready, assemble your ingredients in the bowl. Not bad if I do say so myself! This ramen recipe is very weeknight-friendly — better yet — the one-pot meal is easy to recreate. Enjoy watching the full video below and if you make this recipe, tell us how it turns out!