“not instant – but rapid”
I set out to make a ramen broth that could be made quickly and easily with ingredients at the local store or by amazon. I wanted less instant ramen in my life. Instant broth generally is too processed for my liking. My rapid ramen broth isn’t too far away from that but at least you can vary your amounts to your liking. I like a broth that is a flavored dashi and so I start from there.
The bone broth is for body and since I eat ramen mostly as breakfast it is also a supplement. Some people swear by bone broth. A good ramen broth is the very best bone broth seasoned with tare. This instant bone broth requires a blender or a really good shaker cup. Do not add to the boiling stock or you will end up with lumps that are not very tasty. This bone broth powder is completely optional and honestly it doesn’t add much body to the overall broth. The brand I used is more as a supplement for people on a fast or doing hardcore keto. I had hoped it would make water into tonkotsu but alas, no.
The base of the broth is the dashi – the core of all things Japanese foods. I use Hondashi for instant dashi only because the kombu and bonito get pretty expensive and are sometimes hard to find. Hondashi, when used correctly, will do the trick. Of course, this is just the start – there are always better ways.
The bouillon is the other half of the broth – to simulate a double soup ramen common in Japan. I prefer to use vegetable bouillon (best bet is ‘Better Than Bouillon’) to further flavor the dashi.
What’s left are the accents. Garlic and white pepper. Just enough honey to be there on the tongue but barely noticeable. Soy for flavor and color. The idea was to keep the ingredients simple and not too numerous to keep the flavor clean.
Ideally dashi would com from scratch – I am working on a teabag method with pulverized kombu and bonito. I have some niboshi on order so I’m going to see how to best add that.
What you end up with is a clean and slightly complex broth perfect for noodles. It will pair well with aromatic oils and a spoonful of Ivan’s sofrito. Add noodles, toppings, and there you have a bowl of ramen you can make every day.
The recipe
- Two cups water
- 1/2 tablespoon dashi powder
- 1 scoop bone brother powder (optional)
- One bouillon cube
- 1/2 teaspoon fine garlic powder
- 1/2 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 pinch white pepper to taste
The Uncommon Ramen Channel 