Miso Ramen

It’s cold!  I get it, I’m not from Fargo, North Dakota (ya know?) and a daily temperature range of 32-42 isn’t terrible… but the barometer of a San Diego native is Rainbows (warm) or no Rainbows (frickin’ freezing).

So how does one keep warm when 42 degrees feels like minus 60?  Eat some soup!  I’m definitely preferential to soup in the winter, and rarely eat it outside of the season… but when winter is coming (yes, I am using a GOT referent in a cooking blog), I eagerly anticipate months filled with soups on soups on soups.

One of my favorite soups is miso ramen.  It is delicious, super easy to make, and cheap!  I like both red and white misos, but I find that white misos are easier to find.  You can put an array of additions to your bowl of awesome, but below you will see a picture of everything I like.  I recommend going to an asian market, although many of these items can be found at Whole Foods.  For those that live in Washington DC, there is a great Asian market on 17th and U that I go to.  It has some awesome stuff!  If you want some homemade ramen noodles, check out the Japanese pop-up at Union Market.

Ingredients (per bowl)

2 cups water
2 tbsp fresh white miso
1 tbsp dashi
1 packet of noodles (you can use soba noodles or thinner pho like noodles)
1 egg
1 cup maitake mushrooms
2 tbsp minced fresh garlic
1/2-1 tbsp chili and dried ginger in chili oil
1/2 cup green onions
1/2 cup firm tofu
1/4 cup tried seaweed

You will need two medium pots and a saute pan. 

Preparation

1) Bring one medium pot filled 3/4 of the way with water to a boil.  This will be used for the soft-boiled eggs, noodles and dried seaweed.

2) In the other pot, add as much water as you want broth (typically 203 cups a serving).  Then add the appropriate amount of miso (you can always add more).  It is important you add your miso through a medal strainer.  There are solid particles that you will not want in your broth, and this will prevent them from getting in there.  Add the dashi and chili/ginger in chili oil.  You can add more or less of ingredients based of what taste you prefer.  

3) Once the first pot of water comes to a boil, reduce to an intense simmer and gently place in eggs.  Keep in water for 6 minutes, and remove with slotted spoon and place in ice bath (this prevents the egg from cooking more).

4) Sautee mushrooms and ginger in a hot pan with a little oil.  Cook for 3-5 minutes, and empty pan into miso broth.  Add tofu as well.

5) Once the eggs are done, bring the water back to a boil and add noodles.  Cook until they rise to the top, and taste for flavor.  If they are done, remove with tongs (do not pour out water).  Place the noodles in serving dishes.

6) Place the dried seaweed in boiling water, and re-hydrate seaweed.  It is important you re-hydrate in water and not in miso broth.  The seaweed is dried out with salt, and putting it directly into the miso broth will make the soup far too salty.  Once the seaweed is re-hydrated (it will look like the seaweed in your miso soup at Japanese restaurants), strain water and rinse with medal strainer, and add to soup.

7) Pour soup into serving dishes over noodles.  Add green onions, halved soft-boiled eggs, nori, and whatever else you want to add that is lying around (I had some leftover pork belly).

8) Enjoy!