(Part 2) Best products from r/ramen

Main bone broth: (serves 3/4)

1 lb+. Whole chicken wings
1 lb+. Pork Neck Bones
1 Onion
1 2" knob of Ginger
2 handfuls of shitake mushrooms (I used dehydrated, but fresh is fine too)
1/2 small head of garlic
1.5 gallons water

Add all ingredients to a 16qt stock pot, then add water. Boil on high boil for 2 hours, mixing vigorously every 30 minutes. keep covered when not mixing. Bring to a medium boil for 4-5 hours after, and continue to mix once an hour. Total boil time 6/7 hours. You may have to periodically add water to keep the liquid at the same level. Strain ALL solids (meat, bones, veggies) from broth. Add broth to blender. This step will turn the broth to a milky white. Keep heated while preparing the next ingredients:

Tare Broth:
There are a few ways to do this. I've followed Ramen_Lord's recipe many times now with success. Sometimes the ingredients are a bit hard to get a hold of where I'm from, but luckily I've found you can buy pre-made dashi in asian grocery stores, which is a huge time saver, and just as good. Ramen_Lord's recipe:

5 squares of kombu (a square being a 3 by 3 inch piece)
¾ cup dried shitake
Water
1 cup niboshi
1/2 cup loosely packed katsuo
Sesame oil
Mirin
Sake
Touch of soy sauce

The night before, combine several squares of kombu with a cup and a half of dried shitakes, and cover with cold water. Let this sit in the fridge until ready to make the tare.In a saucepan, combine the niboshi and katsuo with a tbs of sesame oil. Stir fry over high heat until fragrant and the niboshi begin to brown, about 30 seconds.Add the kombu, shitake, and water. Bring to a boil, and just before boil, remove the kombu. Simmer for 2 minutes, or until the dashi feels fully flavored.Strain the solids, add the dashi back to the pot, along with a generous seasoning of salt, mirin, and sake (perhaps some soy as well). Cook this at a simmer for 10 minutes, or until reduced to a salty/intensely flavoured point. This is your seasoning component, make it count!

OR like I said, you can buy premade:
https://www.amazon.com/Kikkoman-Japanese-Noodle-Soup-Tsuyu/dp/B002Z3F0IW

Ground Pork:

1 lb. ground pork
3 tbsp soy sauce
3 tbsp mirin
2 handfuls of chopped green onion

In a large mixing bowl, add the ground pork, the mirin & soy sauce, and the green onions. Mix well, and then in a large frying pan, cook on medium heat until meant is cooked throughout. This smells delicious! Save for topping.

Noodles:
I just use Sun Noodles. Always fantastic, and always a great time saver. I tend to enjoy the Miso noodles the most, even in different types of broth other than Miso.

Eggs:
Your typical 6 minute "equilibrium brine" method you see most people on this subreddit use. Again, I suggest following Ramen_Lords recipe.

Toppings:

For this bowl, I cut dried seaweed up into very thin strips, and added a handful of fresh green onions. And the ground pork, of course. Nothing to fancy, but man was it delicious.

Constructing the bowl:

First add your cooked noodles. Then add your blended bone broth. I then added the Tare. It's quite salty and concentrated (even when store bought), so just a little bit dies the trick. Maybe 2/3 tablespoons. Maybe less. All depends on your personal taste. Then, I added the ground pork. Topped with an egg, and the sliced seaweed & green onions. Delicious! My girlfriend also opted to add about half of a tablespoon of white/red miso into her broth. It was good, but certainly not necessary. That's the fun thing with ramen though, it's all one big experiment, and you can make it however you want! That's the point! Thanks for reading, hope you enjoy.

Alright! I'm going to list a bunch of different types, so bear with me here. This is a copy paste of something I made for another reddit post asking about things, but I put a ton of work into it so I kinda want to reuse it, haha. Let me know if there's any specifics you want!--

If you're looking for a more classic, almost like Top Ramen kind of tastes, I recommend these: Sapporo Ichiban

They're basically just tastier Top Ramen, in my opinon. If you want to fancy it up a bit and go a little deeper into "classic" ramen tastes, then go with this: Nissin Black Garlic Oil Tonkotsu

Speaking of Tonkotsu, do you like a richer Tonkotsu flavor? Then this is what you'll want to try! Myojo Charumera Ramen Tokotsu Shoyu

A bit too high calorie? Want something lighter, non-fried, but still has some delicious Tonkotosu flavor and a firmer chew? Then try Nissin Raoh!

It also comes in the Soy Sauce and Miso flavors, or even Shio if you're looking for that!

Japanese not your thing? Want to try some Korean Ramyun? Neoguri Spicy Seafood might be your thing!

But like some szechuan spice with some authentic ma la flavor that numbs your mouth? Why not try our JML Instant Noodle Artificial Spicy Hot Beef Flavor? P.S. The "artifical" is a bad translation of the ma la flavor

What about some southeast asian flavors? Nothing like Mama Tom Yum flavor to brighten up your day! These are smaller packet, just something to keep in mind. They also make Shrimp creamy Tom Yum and Artifical Pa-Lo Duck Flavor if you're into that!

Speaking of which, let's get some Laksa and Penang in here! MyKuali Penang White Curry is a very delicious, but kind of shrimp funky kind of flavor, but it's definitely worth a try! The entire MyKuali line is very good!

What about something a bit more on the more luxurious side, but also has that same fermented shrimp funk? Why not Prima Taste Laksa La Mian with coconut broth?

And if we want to go into the more expensive, more authentic ramen taste, there's Ichiran instant ramen, which is expensive, but pretty close to an actual authentic bowl of Ichiran Tonkotsu Ramen!

I hope this helped, and let me know if there's anything else you'd like to try, and I can give recommendations! I also recommend going to a local asian supermarket and browsing their instant ramen section-- Amazon only carries the more popular ones, and there are truly some delicious hidden gems that you can only get in asian grocery stores!

I get asked all the time “Ramen_Lord, what if I don’t like fish? Can I make ramen??”

Originally, I said no. You need glutamate I said, you need synergistic compounds for umami.

Well. I was wrong. There is a new style of shoyu in Japan emerging that focuses on chicken and soy sauce. Like… that’s all it uses. Instead of complexity, it opts for simplicity, with heritage birds and unique soy sauce blends. I’ve gone to Japan twice in the last 12 months, and there are a number of shops in Tokyo (and Sapporo even) doing this style. It is all about CHICKEN and SOY SAUCE. It is the regressive form of ramen.

It’s so addictive. I wanted to do the same thing in the US. And well… this. Is. It. I think I got lucky with this one. It’s bafflingly easy. The key is not a host of ingredients, not rare ingredients even really, but just to use the highest quality ingredients you can in every phase. That means free range, local, perhaps organic chicken, and imported, artisanal soy sauces. Kikkoman is ok, but you’ll need something better to really get the umami.

I said this was easy, not cheap. But let’s do this thing.

Soup:

The soup is really easy. Again, find the best quality chicken you can, and you’ll be set.

Ingredients:

• 4 kg chicken backs (or about two chickens, breasts removed, broken down into primal cuts). Include all skin.
  
• 4 L cold water
  
  Essentially, the key part is the ratio: equal parts by weight of chicken and water. You do not want feet here, the backs at this ratio provide plenty of body to the soup. But as long as you have a 1:1 ratio, you can use as much or as little chicken as you want. Have a 4 lb bird? 4 lbs of water. That’s it. No ginger, no garlic, no onion, no scallion. Just two ingredients. The above are just examples. But keep in mind, one serving of soup is 350 ml of soup.
  
  Do keep the skin. You may be tempted to remove it to render the fat for later. But the skin also has collagen, which helps improve body, and flavor, which you want in the soup. So leave it in.
  
  Steps:
  
  

1. Add chicken and cold water to a stock pot.
   
2. Heat on medium heat, until the soup begins to bubble
   
3. Stir the contents of the pot. Skim the scum that rises to the top, Continue to simmer until little to no scum rises. This scum is off white to beige, any white scum can be left behind
   
4. Turn the heat to the lowest setting on your stove, cover the pot, and let cook for 6 hours. Ideally the soup cooks at around 190F, below full bubble, as agitation will mess up the final clarity of the soup.
   
5. Strain the soup, being careful not to disturb the bottom contents of the pot, to help with clarity. I actually ladle the soup out of the pot to avoid moving things around, then tip the pot at the very end to strain the last few drops.
   
6. Let the fat settle, skim fat and reserve.
   
   If you were doing this in a pressure cooker (which I do, often), do the same as the above, but instead of step 4, cover and bring to high pressure, cook 20 minutes, then let depressurize naturally.
   
   Aroma oil:
   
   There is no aroma oil. SURPRISE. It’s just chicken fat. But it’s a lot of chicken fat. Each bowl uses 30 ml (2 tbsp) of chicken fat, which you rendered in the soup making process above. 15 ml in the bottom of the bowl, and another 15 ml at the end after toppings. If your chicken backs have skin, you should be able to render this easily.
   
   Tare:
   
   The tare, if you can even call it that, is also is super simple. Seeing a pattern yet?
   
   Ingredients:
   
   

• 450 g soy sauce (I use some very bougie ones, use the highest quality soy sauces you can find. Whole bean ones, “marudaizu” sauces, are ideal to use at least 50% of this. This website has good selections, go nuts)
  
• 50 g mirin
  
• You’ll also need some tamari for later. Same idea, use the best tamari you can find.
  
  Combine the soy sauce and mirin, store in the fridge as needed.
  
  Noodles:
  
  The noodles here are slightly-lower hydration straight Tokyo style noodle. They are firm, springy, and more taut than other recipes I’ve designed. I wanted something to kind of cut through the fat, really have nice presence. They’re also REALLY hard to do at home given their lower hydration, so only do these if you’re a glutton for punishment or have a nice noodle machine. The kitchenaid won’t save you here, frankly it will break if you try to use it. If you’re worried, bump up the water to 38 or even 39g, which will make things smoother at the expense of some firmness. You can also, of course, just use Sun Noodles. The Shoyu ones are great here.
  
  Of note, I now use distilled water for noodles. It’s not necessary, but if you’ve had trouble with your dough coming together, try using distilled water. The lack of trace minerals makes it extra hydrating for low-hydration doughs like ramen dough.
  
  Ingredients Per portion (measure by weight):
  
  
• 99 g King Arthur bread flour
  
• 1 g vital wheat gluten
  
• 1 g egg white powder
  
• 35 g water (preferably distilled)
  
• 1 g salt
  
• 1.2 g powdered kansui (using 80% sodium carbonate, or baked baking sodia, and 20% potassium carbonate)
  
• Optional: Pinch of Riboflavin (a literal pinch, less than .01 gram is all that’s required) for color
  
  Steps:
  
  

1. Add Sodium Carbonate, Potassium Carbonate, salt, (and riboflavin), to water, one at a time. Go slowly, stir constantly until clear. This will take awhile, but eventually the contents will dissolve. You can do this days in advance to get a jumpstart, just hold the liquid in an airtight container.
   
2. In a standing mixer with a paddle attachment, add your flour, wheat gluten, and egg white powder, Turn the mixer to “stir” and run for 30 seconds to aerate the mix.
   
3. While running the mixer on stir, add half of your water mixture slowly, in an even stream. Let the mixer stir the flour and water mixture for 5 minutes.
   
4. Add in the remaining water mixture with the mixer running, run 3 minutes, or until the flour is evenly hydrated. You’ll know it’s ready when you grab the sandy mix and don’t have any residual powdery flour on your hands. Grainules or sandy reminants are ok, but if you see a powdery residue on your hands, keep mixing.
   
5. Turn off the mixer and add the mixture to a ziplock style bag. Close, and let this rest for 1 hour at room temperature. Don’t skip this.
   
6. Knead it, buy using an electric pasta machine to sheet the dough, going through the largest setting, then the 2nd, then the 3rd. Take the dough and fold it, sheeting under the 2nd widest setting, then fold it again and sheet it under the widest setting. Repeat this again, until the sheet is quite smooth and not ragged.
   
7. After kneading the sheet, put the dough back in the plastic bag, and rest at room temp for another 30 minutes.
   
8. Pull out your dough. Roll out to desired thickness with the pasta machine. You may need to cut the dough into more workable portions. That’s fine.
   
9. Cut your noodles to your desired thickness. For me this is 1.5 mm by 1.5mm. (The marcato atlas comes with a 1.5 cutter, and rolled to a 5, is 1.5mm thick).
   
10. Bundle the noodles into 140g portions, and place them, in the ziploc bag or sealed contained, in the fridge and allow to rest for at least one day.

I made a trip to my local asian supermarket and picked up a few different kinds of instant ramen to try. I was looking for this one to try as well, but they didn't have any at this particular supermarket. I have another asian supermarket nearby that has a bigger variety of instant ramen and I plan on going there in the next few weeks. I would love to try other brands not pictured here, so let me know your favorite instant ramen that you think I should try. If possible link some pictures so I know what to look for at the store. The ramen pictured here are:

 

Mama Tom Yum

indomie

samyang spicy chicken

samyang 2x spicy I tried this one and it is way too spicy for me, the flavor was delicious though

saporo ichiban miso this is one of my favorite instant ramen, I buy it all the time, it's so good

shin ramyun spicy This is my favorite instant ramen. This was the first instant ramen I tried that wasn't maruchan and I fell in love. This led me to try other brands from the asian store that I wouldn't normally have tried.

*edit: i just tried the indomie and wow, it was delicious, so flavorful, definitely getting some more of those

Shin Ramyun is a solid A- at all times. Its a nice staple, good spice packet, good dried veggie packet (shiitake is always welcome). Some people will call bullshit, but I actually like Shin Ramyun black.

Mama's Tom yum flavor is awesome. just awesome. kind of tiny, but also cheap.

Same with Indomie hot and Spicy flavor.

Sapporo Ichiban is again a nice staple. I'd say solid B unless you really like one of the flavors. Wife REALLY likes the tonkutsu, but its artificially flavored, and the only one of the basic flavors that has that on the label. I don't know why.

I also enjoy the Myojo Udon you see there with a lot of scallions and white pepper added to the mix. Obey the instructions on this one: boil noodles separately from a pot of just water. use the hot water on the flavor pack (and white pepper to taste, probably a lot), drain noodles and put in stock, add scallions and whatever else. maybe do a soy egg or something. I like beef or spicy flavors on this one.

whoa! Thanks for all the awesome comments! I love you guys!

Edit: I made it available to buy for those who are interested :) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07CRLJDZZ?customId=B07537HR1W&th=1

Ive never seen that flavor before but according to Maruchan's website, they still make it in the "bowl" version.

I just bought a case of these though.
https://www.amazon.com/Nissin-Demae-Garlic-Instant-Noodles/dp/B00CORJU5S

They're pretty good for when I'm looking for a quick fix.

I recommend starting at Amazon and just seeing if you can find what you want online. Maruchan's website also has a "Contact Us" section. Could always send them an email. Maybe they'll ship you a case.

Ivan Ramen is a good start to homemade ramen (as /u/h2g2Ben suggests), and probably one of the only places where you will see a ramen recipe that was actually used in a ramen shop. Ramen-ya's generally keep their recipes close to their chests. I would suggest perusing through /u/Ramen_Lord's post history as well, as he's done a ton of research into and experiments with ramen styles.

the only other book I was recommended on ramen was this one and while it has some nice recipes, they are modified for the home cook. If that's okay with you, have at it! But you probably won't see a broth boiled for 4 hours in a good ramen-ya; even the french-style broths go for at least 6.

Yeah sure Hondashi

Sorry if the link doesn’t work, I’m on mobile. But basically you just pour some in boiling water and mix it around a bit and it makes a stock for the base. I mean alternatively one could probably use chicken stock or something like that, but I find this more convenient because they last longer and I can make more bowls of ramen with it lol.

Also the baking soda trick is basically if you’re boiling pasta, you can add baking soda to the water and it’ll come out more ramen-like than pasta-like. It’s pretty convenient.

Here are my 3 favorite brands. I think you should be able to find them at Seafood City.

https://www.amazon.com/Nongshim-Shin-Black-Noodle-Spicy/dp/B017IRZLKQ/ref=sr_1_2_a_it?ie=UTF8&qid=1493509793&sr=8-2&keywords=shin+ramyun+black

https://www.amazon.com/SAPPORO-ICHIBAN-INSTANT-RAMEN-TONKOTSU/dp/B01MS03T6V/ref=sr_1_14_a_it?ie=UTF8&qid=1493509840&sr=8-14&keywords=tonkotsu+ramen

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01LDI18YO/ref=sr_ph_1_a_it?ie=UTF8&qid=1493509872&sr=sr-1&keywords=laksa

I add whatever I have on had. I have jars of fried shallots, fried onion, and pork floss. I usually will quickly boil an egg and let it sit in soy sauce for a while. I also almost have green onions on hand and they get chopped up and added. Gochujang is a good spicy add-in too.

You can go to most any Korean store and get them for like a dollar a pair. Koreans use the metal ones the most.

This is what they sell for a dollar a pair. A 12 pack for 7.99 is a pretty good deal.

https://www.amazon.com/Hiware-12-Pairs-Reusable-Metal-Chopsticks/dp/B07C97DXXL/ref=sr_1_4?crid=3D49FAU67UJ76&keywords=korean+metal+chopsticks&qid=1557857792&s=gateway&sprefix=korean+metal+%2Caps%2C154&sr=8-4

One of my favorite ways to start a clear ramen broth is with a dashi base. You can use dried dashi granules like such and then add soy sauce, ginger, sesame oil, and garlic. It's not a strong fishy taste like you might expect of a dried bonito base.

Ichiran's instant noodles are insanely good. If you are a noodle nut, grab a pack of these. Best noodles I've had outside of japan.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B077T7HC88/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

This and lots of it. You should be able to get it at all asian supermarkets.

I like to use white pepper and occasionally some sesame oil for lighter pork/chicken flavored soups. If you can get Shichimi Togarashi, that's probably one of the best spices. It's more commonly sprinkled over udon but it'll work nicely with just about any soup.

I like to add it to the water I boil the noodle in. Then the flavor seems to get into every single noodle really well. The same can be done with sriracha, or really any sauce.

I also like to add a dash of powdered hondashi to mine. If you don't like fish, you probably shouldn't try this, but man, that stuff is savory!

Also, remember you can buy sesame seeds in bulk in a lot of grocery stores. 1lb of them is a LOT and is much cheaper than buying them on the spice aisle. You can toast them by putting them on a cookie sheet in the oven at 325 for about 5 min. Just keep an eye on them and take them out when they look slightly toasted, then let them cool and store them in something airtight.

Recipes for broth/tare, ajitama & chashu were from Japanese Soul Cooking, a really awesome book my fiancé gave me for Christmas!

Online is your best bet. Also, if you ever want extra yellow noodles, try adding some riboflavin powder https://www.amazon.com/BulkSupplements-Riboflavin-Vitamin-Powder-grams/dp/B00F7URNTE?th=1

Can anyone compare these to NongShim Black? I just recently discovered those from a different reddit thread and think they're amazing and just wondering how the flavor of these compares. Particularly the flavor and heat level of the broth.

In case anyone is wondering, Amazon carries the House brand. It's like $5/bottle and worth every single penny. I've taken to putting it on everything from eggs to ramen to pulled pork.

House - Shichimi Togarashi

They also have Sansho peppers and Nanami Togarashi, too.

Yeah, I love putting this spice in my ramen.

Other than that, egg is incredible... although it would be difficult to use egg in a cup ramen. If you try it, post about the possibility.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00BEBMJX0/ref=mp_s_a_1_2_a_it?ie=UTF8&qid=1522523567&sr=8-2&keywords=mi+goreng&dpPl=1&dpID=51fM7znx%2BIL&ref=plSrch these are vegetarian and so good. Technically they’re meant to be made as a fried noodle but I make them as a soup instead. If I’ve added a lot of veggies and it seems too watered down for me I just add a splash of soy sauce and always a squeeze of lime. I have tried many veggie ramens over the years and these are my fave by far.

This looks great. I know how frustrating it is when the noodles don't turn out the way you want. If you're serious about noodles I highly suggest you buy a pasta machine like this one. I can't reccomend it enough

Myojo udons are really good too!
http://www.amazon.com/Myojo-Udon-Noodle-7-22-Ounce-Packages/dp/B0049J2LI2

Was gonna say the same thing, I always have this one on hand https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B0051D84JU/ref=pd_aw_sim_325_of_14?ie=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=8Z86VGP96WAHTJ0J3YCF I end up using a jar in a week cause I put it on every meal every day

Cross Post from /r/food

Figured you guys might like this as well.


Ingredients

Not pictured: enoki mushrooms, green onions

Pork Recipe from Serious Eats

Egg Recipe also from Serious Eats

I boiled about 1 Cup water, added 2/3 cup beef stock and turned the stove down a bit to maintain a small simmer. Added cubed firm tofu and a handful of enoki. Added a pinch of this and a dash of soy sauce. Let this simmer on the stove for about a minute, then added the packet of Ramen noodles. After the noodle softens (about a minute), stir in 1 tbsp of miso paste. Simmer for 1 more minute and transfer to bowl. Immediately dunk in the 2 halves of soft boiled eggs and slices of pork to let them heat up a bit.

Top with chopped up spring onions and sriracha.

All this is missing is a few servings of vegetables, which is what salads are for.

I can seriously eat this every day.

I eat (non-instant) ramen for lunch that I cook in the microwave. I keep roasted seaweed, dried shiitake mushrooms, S&B chili powder, tiny dried shrimp, and dried fried onions in the cupboard at work to add a little kick to my ramen. I'm sure adding any of these ingredients will make your ramen tastier.

The OG Sichuan hot sauce: https://www.amazon.com/Lao-Gan-Chili-Crisp-Sauce/dp/B0051D84JU
It's life changing.

Also, try the Shin Ramen brothless--just mix in the spice packet after you drain the noodles. It's so much more intense.

Have you tried the Nissan brand black garlic ramen? It's $28.99 on Amazon for a 30 pack and I've thought about trying it out.

[Link](Nissin Demae Black Garlic Oil Instant Ramen Noodles 30 Packs https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00CORJU5S/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_0oHuzb9XM4FJ3)

Wait... you havent tried Samyang 2x Spicy chicken ramen? You will shit your pants it's so spicy

Edit: It's also very tasty.

2nd Edit: Also This stuff is excellent.

For seasonings, you can't go wrong with having the following:

• Sriracha Sauce
  
• Nanami Togarashi Seasoning
  
• La-Yu Chili Oil

I grew up on Nissin Demae Black Garlic Oil, thus my obsession. After I figured how to make it, I got bottles. It's like black truffle oil you can make yourself.

Link for the lazy

Youch

Here are the items i found that i cant get local. Any good/bad items or alternate options you would suggest?

> Mirin

Kikkoman Aji-Mirin

>Dashi

Ajinomoto - Hon Dashi

>Miso Paste

Shiro Miso Paste

>Gochujang

Sunchang Gochujang

>Kombu/Wakame/Nori (sea weed)

Welpac Dashi Kombu

Wel-Pac - Fueru Wakame

Nagai Deluxe Sushi Nori

>Furikake

JFC - Seto Fumi Furikake

>Bonito Flakes

Japanese Bonito Flakes

It's called Nanami Togarashi. A "spicy powdered assortment of dried chil peppers and other seasonings" (typically served alongisde Japanese ramen)

Two of my go-tos are

White Curry

And (of course) Shin Black

Yikes.

https://www.amazon.com/Japanese-populer-ICHIRAN-instant-tonkotsu/

https://www.amazon.com/Japanese-populer-ICHIRAN-instant-tonkotsu/dp/B077T7HC88/

$35 for 5. Still nuts, but not as nuts.

Not really. Long story short, I had to go on Amazon to get nutritional information.

Beef Maruchan has a smaller serving size of 43g while Shin Black has a larger serving size of 65g.

Product|Calories|Fat|Sodium|Carbs|Protein

--|:-:|:-:|:-:|:-:|:-:
Maruchan Beef|190|7g|790mg|26g|4g
Shin Black|280|9g|920mg|43g|7g

Shin has slightly more iron and more calcium, but that's about it.

After all, they're both fried noodles with bouillon. I used to add stuff to Maruchan to give it an extra pinky, but they're both not good for you.

Lately, I've been adding dried seaweed to Shin Black for some more micronutrients.

A shake or two of togarashi would dress up this bowl nicely.

https://www.amazon.com/House-Shichimi-Togarashi-Japanese-Pepper/dp/B0002YGSJQ