Ramen with a Sake-Marinated Egg

Photos by Ian McCausland

1.8 litres vegetable or mushroom broth
1 medium yellow onion, minced
2 sheets of nori
6 green onions, split
10 dry shiitake mushrooms
1 garlic clove, minced
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp ginger, grated
2 tbsp sake
2 tbsp miso paste
1 tsp brown sugar
1 cup water
2 green onions, sliced
Chili oil, to taste
1 tbsp sesame seeds
4 large eggs
1 cup sake
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp soy sauce

Prepare marinated eggs ahead: Drop 4 eggs into a pot with water that just covers their tops. Bring to a boil, then reduce and simmer for 6 minutes. Plunge into ice-cold water, and peel eggs when cool. Combine the marinade of sake, sugar, and soy sauce in a bowl and immerse peeled eggs. Cover with a paper towel and let sit overnight in the refrigerator.

Broth: Heat oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add onion and sauté until it just starts to brown (about 10 minutes). Add the vegetable or mushroom stock, along with the nori, green onions, and mushrooms. When the broth comes to a boil, reduce the to medium-low and simmer for 30 minutes. Strain the soup using a fine mesh sieve and save the mushrooms for a ramen topping.

Tare (flavour base): Combine minced garlic clove, soy sauce, grated ginger, sake, Miso paste or gochujang and water. Bring to a simmer. For a spicier base, substitute gochujang for miso paste.
While the tare is simmering, cook ramen noodles according to instructions and set aside.

To assemble: In each bowl, pour ¼ cup of the tare mixture and place a serving of ramen in it. Pour the hot broth over the noodles. Add a marinated egg, sliced scallions, chili oil, sesame seeds, rehydrated mushrooms, and your chosen toppings.

Suggested toppings include raw carrots, bell peppers, roasted corn, blanched bok choi, fried puff tofu, peanuts, jalapeños, kimchi, and nori.

PAIR WITH
Fram Grenache Gris Swartland, South Africa
Blanck Pinot Gris Alsace, France
Doom Juice Rouge South Australia