Ramen and those who make ramen: Puget Sound Ramen, Ginger scallion sauce
"Knitting With Ramen Noodles"
Somewhere in my recent browsing, either turning a page or digitally flicking, I came across mention of David Chang's new quarterly magazine, "Lucky Peach." I sent in my subscription money for the three remaining issues plus $12.00 for the first issue, which arrived by mail a week later in a thick manilla envelope. The 175-page magazine was completely ad-free—nosirree not one single page selling "Getaways", cookware, appliances, or credit cards. The first issue is packed with the history, culture, best-ofs, leading lights, recipes of Japanese-style ramen and one bizarre short story.
David Chang's current position as one of New York's most famous restauranteurs has obscure beginnings. Born of Korean parents who owned restaurants in suburban Virginia, he grew up in the clang of a professional kitchen. During a semester studying abroad in London, he became obsessed with Japanese noodle bars, specifically Wagamama. He enrolled in the French Culinary Institute in Tokyo and through a kitchen connection found a position at a Tokyo ramen shop. After eight months of ramen immersion, he returned to New York and worked as a line cook for some of the city's most acclaimed chefs before opening Momofuku Noodle Bar in August, 2004. Today lines form out the door as people wait for their turn to squeeze in to one of the sixty-five seats.
Ramen is an important part of not only Japanese regional cuisine, but of Japanese culture. At newspaper stands in Tokyo, you are likely to choose from five to six ramen magazines. Each geographical region of Japan has its own ramen style from the pork bone broth ramen of Kyushu to the miso ramen of Hokkaido. After World War II, Japanese soldiers returning from duty in China brought with them a love of ramen and opened restaurants featuring Chinese noodles. In 1958 Momofuku Ando, the Taiwanese-Japanese founder and chairman of Nissin, invented instant noodles and by the 1980s, ramen had become permanently attached to Japanese culture.
Ramen can be as easy as pouring boiling water over a packet of dried noodles and salty soup base or as complicated as David Chang's twenty-page recipe for ramen from his weighty new cookbook, "Momofuku." I have chosen the middle ground and produce a personally tweaked version that rests between the easy and the sublime. My ramen features a chicken and pork bones broth, fresh ramen noodles (available at almost any grocery store), a leafy green (cabbage, nappa, spinach, mustard greens, chard), tofu (if you are so inclined), bean sprouts, cooked chicken, cooked shredded pork, and a six-minute soft boiled egg.
Ramen lovers, whether American or Japanese, are fanatic about their ramen. There are YouTube videos, blogs, step-by-step recipes, books, and Facebook pages. So give ramen a chance—just be sure to slurp not chew; and remember to finish up—in Japan it's rude to leave noodles in your bowl.
Puget Sound Ramen
Soup base:
1 lb. chicken backs
1 lb. pork bones
1/2 lb. smoked bacon or 1/4 tsp. Liquid Smoke
1/2 cup green onions (cut off the last 8 inches of the green part)
2 shallots
6 cloves garlic
2 bay leaves
2 pieces star anise
2 tablespoons coriander seeds
2 tablespoons Szechuan peppercorns
1 tablespoon black peppercorns (use only black if need be)
1 tablespoon salt
Spread chicken and pork bones on a sheet pan and roast in a 400 degree oven for 40 minutes. Cover bones with water (at least 8-10 cups), add remaining ingredients, bring to simmer and cook for 2 hours. Strain, don't remove fat it's a integral part of a good ramen.
Condiments (choose from below but be sure to include noodles):
cooked ramen noodles
shredded nappa cabbage, spinach, or other greens
cooked chicken or shredded pork
bean sprouts
fish cake
nori
bamboo shoots
won tons
cubed tofu
pickled ginger
sliced scallions
dried anchovies
chili sauce
6-minute soft boiled egg
David Chang's Ginger Scallion Sauce (recipe below)
To build a bowl of ramen:
Place piles of noodles, meat, greens, and other condiments around the bowl with the soft-boiled egg in the middles. Taste stock and adjust seasoning if necessary. Be sure stock is very hot and ladle over piles in your bowl. Serve with Ginger Scallion sauce.
David Chang's Ginger Scallion Sauce
2 1/2 cups thinly sliced scallions (greens and whites; from 1 to 2 large bunches)
1/2 cup finely minced peeled fresh ginger
1/4 cup grapeseed or other neutral oil
1 1/2 teaspoons usukuchi (light soy sauce)
3/4 teaspoon sherry vinegar
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt, or more to taste
(Makes about three cups)
Directions
Mix together the scallions, ginger, oil, soy, vinegar, and salt in a bowl. Taste and check for salt, adding more if needed. Though it’s best after 15 or 20 minutes of sitting, ginger scallion sauce is good from the minute it’s stirred together up to a day or two in the fridge. Use as directed, or apply as needed.
Posted by Marla Nichols at 10/12/2011 11:20 AM 
Categories: Soup, Noodles, Celebrity Chefs, Asian
Tags: David Chang Lucky Peach ramen ginger scallion sauce Momofuku Wagamama noodles ramen recipe
Categories: Soup, Noodles, Celebrity Chefs, Asian
Tags: David Chang Lucky Peach ramen ginger scallion sauce Momofuku Wagamama noodles ramen recipe
Cant wait to try this one!!!!
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