INGREDIENTS Meat
100g Pork Belly Slices
1 Thumb Ginger Root – Lightly Crushed
Pinch Red Chilli rings (or chilli flakes) – add more if you like it hot.
1 Clove Garlic – Lightly Crushed
1 Jumbo Spring Onion – Green Part
Broth
400ml Chinese Style Chicken Broth (1/2 TBSP granules to 400ml water)
2 TBSP Sake
1 White part Spring Onion (Jumbo, cut diagonally)
2 TBSP Soy Sauce
40g Shiitake Mushrooms
40g Shimeji Mushrooms
1 TSP Vinegar
1/2 TSP Sesame Oil
Toppings
2 Eggs – Soft Boiled
Handful of spring onion leaves
Dollop of Grated Garlic
2 Bags of Ramen Noodles
INSTRUCTIONS
1. Stir fry the pork slices in a pan until they release some fat and stir in the chillis.
2. After stir frying for a few minutes add in the sake and stock along with the green part of the spring onion, garlic and ginger – bring to the boil. Skim off any foam to clarify the broth.
3. Once boiling lower to a simmer for 10 mintutes.
4. This is good time to boil your egg. I boil mine for 6 minutes if they are room temp to start. I over cooked in this one, oops.
5. Remove the green spring onion leaves, ginger and garlic and add the soy and white part of spring onion, continue to simmer.
6. Once the white spring onion has wilted taste the broth and add pepper to taste.
7. Add in sesame oil and vinegar.
8. Boil your ramen as per instructions, mine only takes 3 minutes, rinse in cold water to remove the goo and squeeze out any water without crushing it. Place on a bamboo mat to drain.
9. Serve the tsukemen in a small bowl next to your ramen noodles and egg.
10. Garnish with chopped spring onion leaves, grated garlic, bonito flakes or chilli oil.
INSTRUCTIONS
1. Soft boil the eggs and warm up the egg seasonings in microwave in a bag. Around 30 seconds but be careful if your bags aren’t microwavable, they could melt.
2. Put peeled soft boiled eggs into the bag and seal closed. Marinate these eggs either over night in fridge or a few hours at room temp.
3. Fry Pork Belly in non stick pan on all sides till golden. Remove any excess fat with kitchen paper.
4. Add in the bruised ginger piece and green part of jumbo spring onion, and top with water to cover. Place a drop-lid or bowl over the meat to keep it submerged.
5. Bring to a simmer and lower heat to lowest for 2 hours.
6. Prepare the toppings for the ramen during this time.
7. Remove the pork from the water and dry off with kitchen paper. Place it in a clean bowl and cover with clingfilm. Set aside.
8. Using 1/2 of the cooking water add the soy, sake and brown sugar. And add to a clean pot.
9. Add the dashi to the pot and reduce the total volume to about 1 cup.
10. Place the pork back into the pot with the broth and bring to a simmer. Once simmer turn off the heat and leave to cool so you can handle the pork with your hands.
11. Once cooled, cut the pork belly into thick slices.
12. Boil the spinach for about 30 seconds in water then remove and squeeze out water and add ramen noodles as per the instructions on package, usually around 3 minutes.
13. Slice the eggs in half.
14. Optionally you can grill the pork slices to crisp up the outer layers.
15. Place the chicken stock powder/granules in the bottom of the serving dish and place the rinsed and rubbed ramen noodles over it.
16. Pour over the broth and loosen the noodles.
17. Place the pork slices, the menma, finely sliced spring onions, spinach and Naruto Maki on top of the noodles.
18. Garnish with the nori sheet on side of dish half dipped in the broth.
NOTES
This takes a while but I love the soy, mirin, sugar taste. Kakuni is very similar in terms of sauce. I add a little more soy and less dashi to mine as I prefer it that way so the broth is darker than usual. I would keep to the amounts shown if unsure.
INSTRUCTIONS 1. Marinade beef in the red wine and a pinch and salt and pepper for at least 30 minutes.
2. Once marinaded, dry off the beef with kitchen paper and dredge in flour. Keep the red wine for later.
3. Heat oil and butter in a wide pan and fry carrots on medium heat for 3/4 minutes.
4. Add in garlic and continue to fry till aromatic, careful not to burn.
5. Add the beef to the pan and brown all sides. Try not to crowd the pan otherwise you’ll end up boiling the meat not frying it. Do it in batches if too much in onw go.
6. Transfer the pan to a slow cooker.
7. To the slow cooker add in tomato puree, red wine, onion, parsnip, bouquet garni and beef stock. The total liquid should cover the all the beef and veg.
8. Slow cooker for at least 2 hours but for max tenderness over night for 8 hours.
9. When 30 mins remain add in the peas and remove bouquet garni.
10. Finally, season with salt and pepper to taste.
NOTES Additionally you can add in suet dumpling 20 mins before finished cooking time. Can also be done in a pot rather than slow cooker.
Skins 25 Gyoza Skins – You can make own but this is easier. Flour for dusting. 1 TBSP Sesame Oil
INSTRUCTIONS 1. Mix pork in a large bowl till gooey – using your hands.
2. Add in all the seasonings (soy, sugar, pepper, sake, sesame oil, potato starch, garlic, ginger and oyster sauce). And kneed well into the pork.
3. Add the cabbage, onion and nira and mix through gently.
4. Cover bowl with cling film and sit in fridge for 30 mins to marinate the juices.
5. While waiting, dust flour onto a baking sheet.
6. Once pork has marinated spoon out approx 1 TBSP onto a gyoza skin. Wet the out part of the skin to help it seal.
7. Pull one side of skin over to the other to produce a semi circle and begin to gather one side of the skin into pleats, sealing it well into the opposite side. Place completed gyoza on the floured baking sheet.
8. Heat sesame oil in a large lidded pan on medium heat.
9. When hot enough place half the gyoza in the pan, make sure not to crowd the pan too much.
10. Pour in boiling water till it covers half way up the gyoza and place lid.
11. Steam for approx 5/6 mins or until the water has mostly evaporated.
12. When the water has evaporated, drizzle sesame oil between the gyozas in the pan and replace the lid.
INGREDIENTS
45g Butter
3 Cloves Garlic
3 TBSP Lemon Juice
1/4 Cup Basil – Chopped
250g Spaghetti
1/2 TBSP Olive Oil
4 Bacon Rashers or Lardons – Chopped
250g Prawns – or if using large prawn prep 5 each.
INSTRUCTIONS
1. Mash together the garlic, butter, lemon juice and basil in bowl and set aside.
2. Heat oil in pan and fry bacon till crisp and remove from pan and set aside.
3. Cook pasta in salted water.
4. Put pan back on heat and add half garlic butter
5. Fry prawns for a few minutes in garlic sauce.
6. Drain pasta and place in pan with prawns
7. Add bacon to pan with remaining garlic butter and toss to coat.
NOTES
Add more lemon juice to taste. You can also substitute the Spaghetti for Tagliatelle. Serves with a crusty bread slice to soak up the garlicy lemony juices. Nnnng.