Ramen Recipe

Soak kombu and mushrooms

Place the dried kombu and dried shiitake mushrooms in a medium saucepan with 2 cups water. Let them soak for 20–30 minutes if you have time (or proceed immediately for a quicker infusion).

Simmer aromatics

After soaking (or immediately), add the 6 cups chicken broth, sliced ginger, and smashed garlic to the saucepan. Bring to a gentle simmer over medium heat. Do not boil vigorously—keep a gentle simmer to extract flavor from kombu without bitterness.

Add seasonings

When the broth is simmering, stir in 3 tbs soy sauce, 1 tbs mirin, 1 tsp sesame oil, 1 tsp salt, and 1 tsp sugar. Taste and adjust: add more soy sauce for umami/ salt, or water if too salty.

Simmer and strain

Reduce heat to low and simmer gently for 20 minutes to meld flavors. Remove kombu just before it reaches a boil if you haven't already. After simmering, remove and discard kombu and shiitake (reserve mushrooms to slice and use as topping if desired). Strain the broth through a fine mesh sieve into a clean pot to remove solids and aromatics. Keep warm over low heat.

Prepare soft-boiled eggs

Bring a small pot of water to a rolling boil. Carefully lower 2 eggs into the water and boil for 6–7 minutes for jammy yolks (6 min for runny, 7 min for slightly more set). Immediately transfer eggs to an ice bath for 5 minutes. Peel gently. If using the optional marinade, whisk 1 tbs soy sauce + 1 tbs mirin + 2 tbs water and submerge peeled eggs in that mixture for at least 15 minutes (or up to 2 hours) in the fridge.

Heat toppings

If using pre-cooked pork, warm slices briefly in a skillet over medium heat to render fat and reheat (1–2 minutes per side). Blanch baby spinach or bok choy in boiling water for 30–45 seconds until wilted, then shock in ice water and drain. Warm corn and bean sprouts in the same blanching water for 30–45 seconds if desired.

Cook noodles

Bring a separate pot of water to a rolling boil. Add the ramen noodles and cook according to package directions (typically 2–4 minutes for fresh, 4–6 minutes for dried) until just tender. Stir occasionally so noodles don’t stick. Reserve 1/2 cup of the noodle cooking water, then drain the noodles quickly.

Assemble bowls

Divide cooked noodles between two bowls. Pour hot strained broth over noodles (about 2 1/2–3 cups broth per bowl). Arrange warmed pork slices, blanched greens, corn, bean sprouts, and halved marinated soft-boiled eggs on top. Add scallions, toasted sesame seeds, and nori halves. Drizzle with chili oil to taste.

Serve

Serve immediately while hot. Offer extra soy sauce, chili oil, or sesame oil at the table for adjustments.

If you prefer a richer broth, substitute 2 cups of the chicken broth with pork or beef broth, or add 2–3 tablespoons of miso (white miso) dissolved in a little hot broth at the end. For vegetarian ramen, swap chicken broth for vegetable broth and omit pork; add more mushrooms and a splash of tamari for depth.