Known worldwide as a Japanese noodle dish, it is actually inspired by Chinese wheat noodles. The word lāmiàn is a Chinese word meaning pulled noodles and although the word Ramen derives from the word lāmiàn it does not actually evolve from this northern Chinese dish called lāmiàn. Ramen is actually derived from Southern Chinese dishes called Char Siu of Guangdong and Rousi Tangmien of Jiangnan. It first appeared in Yokohama Chinatown in the early 20th century.
In 1945 Japan experienced its worst rice harvest and food shortages. Wheat flour was a low cost alternative that flooded into the market and made its way into Ramen. At the time Ramen was sold at black market food vendors as the government food system was behind. Today Ramen is a popular dish all over Japan and the world with regional variations from Japan. It consists of five components: broth, noodles, tare, aroma oil and topping. Our Ramen has all the components to make a delicious broth that you can make vegan, with chicken bones or pork bones for a richer broth. We also include togarashi, sesame seeds and nori sheet for toppings. Add your favorite ramen noodles, tare a type of seasoning like soy sauce or miso, aroma oil and your choice of toppings. And there you have it, a delicious restaurant quality homemade ramen.
Prep Time: 10 mins Cook Time: Instant Pot – Soup setting for 30 minutes. Cook Time: Slow Cooker – High setting for 3 hours. Cook Time: Stove Top – Low heat simmer for 2 hours.
Aromatics
1 bunch green onion, 1 large knob of ginger, 1 bulb of garlic – 6 cloves per recipe.
Liquid
Tamari or soy sauce – ¼ cup per recipe. Toasted sesame oil – 1 tsp per recipe.
Dry Goods
4 servings of ramen noodles or your favorite low carb noodles.
Protein
2 lbs of bone in chicken or pork bones.
Vegan
Tofu or vegetables of choice.
Tare – Seasoning Options
Soy Sauce or Miso of choice.
Toppings Options
canned or frozen corn, eggs, menma (bamboo shoots), chashu, green onions
Only the essentials for all the possibilities. Add your choice of sodium and control the intake. Use your choice of noodles and toppings. Keep it vegan or make a bone broth.
Make it: Shoyu – Add soy sauce in broth or as tare. Shio – Season broth heavily with salt. Miso – use white, yellow or red miso as tare. Tantanmen – make it creamy with sesame paste and or peanut butter.
Prep – Cut whites off green onion and leave tops for garnish, cut ginger knob in half lengthwise, cut nori sheet with scissors into 4 squares and separate and peel 6 cloves of garlic. Measure 1/4 cup of tamari or soy sauce, 1 tsp of toasted sesame oil, have soy sauce or miso handy for tare. Measure 10 cups of water for the stock pot or 9 cups for the instant pot or slow cooker.
Cook – In your cooking vessel of choice add the packet of kombu flakes, carrots, leeks, mushrooms, ginger, green onion, garlic. For Chicken add your bone in chicken, for pork broth add your pork bones and for vegan leave as is.
Bring to a boil and then turn to low and simmer for 2 hrs on the stove top. For the instant pot cook on soup setting for 30 minutes. For the slow cooker, cook on high for 3 hours. Remove chicken after 2 hrs for slow cooker.
Once broth is finished cooking, strain and add 1/4 cup soy or tamari and 1 tsp sesame oil. You can save and julienne the mushrooms for topping. Shred the meat for topping.
Now you are ready to assemble your bowl of ramen. In a bowl add your tare of soy sauce or miso to your liking, pour over 2 cups of broth and stir, add your cooked noodles of choice, and lastly add your favorite toppings.
Green Flakes – Kombu
Spice mix – Togarashi
White Seeds – Sesame Seeds
Servings:Makes 4 16 oz. servings or 8 8 oz. servings for a smaller meal. Enjoy it family style or meal prep for the week. Can freeze broth for up to 6 weeks.
What is the spice level and flavor profile?
This broth is balanced with kombu, carrots, leeks and mushroom for a high quality umami. It’s the perfect carrier for the addition of miso or soy tare. Add sesame paste to make it a richer broth. When we say it's the perfect carrier we really mean it. Make it your favorite way and the broth will shine through and compliment all the ingredients.
Does it meet my dietary needs and choices?
Control sodium by using coconut aminos, or omit the ¼ cup soy or tamari sauce and only use tare. There are multiple ways to control your salt. You can choose what is best for you.
This Ramen broth is designed to be full flavor vegan yet it holds up well to chicken and pork.
Control the carbs by using low carb noodles of choice or add plenty of vegetables for fiber. You can also omit toppings with carbs.
How easy is it to make?
For the easiest method we recommend an Instant Pot. 30 mins on soup setting and about 30 mins until you can open. As long as it can fit 9 cups of water plus ingredients you are good. Slow cooker is also an easy option. Just throw in all the ingredients and let it go. For easy straining you can even use a stock bag.
What's the shelf life? Kit and cooked product.
You can find the shelf life of the kit on the sticker on the bag. It will have the batch number and a best by date.
You will have 4 16oz. Servings or 8 8oz. Servings. You can portion and freeze for upto 6 weeks and 4-7 days in the refrigerator.
