Kagoshima Ramen

Name: Kagoshima Ramen
Prep time: 25 min
Cook time: 4 h 25 min
Total time: 4 h 50 min
Yield: 1 serving
Cuisine: Japanese
Ingredients: 250 g pork neck bones; 1 chicken wing; 1.2 litre water; 2 cloves garlic; 10 g ginger; 2 spring onions; 1 dried shiitake mushroom; 1 green cabbage leaf; 100 g pork belly; 2 tbsp soy sauce; 1 tbsp mirin; 1 tbsp sake; 1 tsp caster sugar; 110 g fresh ramen noodles; 2 tsp vegetable oil; 1 tsp sesame oil; 3 g dried wood ear mushrooms (kikurage); 40 g beansprouts; 30 g menma (seasoned bamboo shoots); 3 slices takuan (pickled daikon); 0.5 tsp salt

The southern Kyushu bowl: a milky but gentle pork broth softened with chicken and vegetables, medium-thick straight noodles, soy-braised chashu, wood ear and a drizzle of garlic oil, with a slice or two of sweet takuan pickle on the side.

Lunch & dinner 25g+ protein 8g+ fibre

290 min25 prep · 265 cookMedium1221 kcalper serving

Method

Put 250 g of pork neck bones and 1 chicken wing in a saucepan, cover with cold water and bring to the boil. Boil hard for 5 minutes, then drain and rinse the bones under running water, scrubbing off any dark scum — this is what keeps the Kagoshima broth pale rather than muddy.
Return the bones to the clean pan with 1.2 litre of water, 1 garlic clove, 10 g of sliced ginger, the green tops of 1 spring onion, 1 dried shiitake and 1 cabbage leaf. Boil uncovered over high heat for 30 minutes so the fat emulsifies, then lower to a steady simmer for 3 hours 30 minutes, topping up with hot water to keep the bones covered. Strain through a fine sieve; you want about 500 ml. Discard the solids.
While the broth simmers, roll 100 g of pork belly into a tight cylinder and tie it with string. Put it in a small pan with 150 ml of the strained broth (take it once strained, or use water and swap later), 2 tbsp of soy sauce, 1 tbsp of mirin, 1 tbsp of sake and 1 tsp of caster sugar. Cover and braise at a bare simmer for 1 hour 15 minutes, turning twice, until a skewer slides in with no resistance. Leave the chashu to cool in its liquid, then untie and cut 3 slices about 5 mm thick. Reserve 2 tbsp of the braising liquid as tare.
Soak 3 g of dried wood ear in warm water for 20 minutes until swollen and soft, then drain and shred finely. Slice the white of the remaining 1 spring onion thinly on the diagonal and rinse in cold water.