Ramen Noodles

“It’s raining pigs and noodles. It’s pouring frogs and hats...A flood of figs and nickels is falling through the air. I see a swan, a sweater, a clock, a model train— I like this so much better than when it’s falling rain.”
— Jack Prelutsky

Ever think you have more time than you do?

I do.  All the time.😣

 You figure 15 minutes to get over to that appointment on the other side of town is more than efficient only to realize that every stoplight you are going to traverse is at least 3 minutes long making you late.😫

 Our rush through life makes us think that we don't have time for things like fresh noodles.  Of course the three hours of television that we watched the night before only make us feel even more guilty.

 These noodles are not about guilt or about adding something to your to do list.  They are just about eating something you made with your hands.

 Do they take a few extra minutes? Sure.

But then again so did that stoplight.  

It's a new year and everyone is excited it feels fresh and exciting.  Having some ramen broth and noodles in the freezer to pull out when that sickness comes on or guests are coming for dinner and it's freezing outside.

 There is nothing like fresh noodles.

 They cook quickly in only 2 minutes instead of the standard 10 minutes for dry pasta noodles.  But the best part is the flavor and the moment when your guests, or you sweetie asks you: "Did you make these noodles?" "I did, yes."

You are beaming about now, you're proud of yourself, you forget about the stoplights and being late to all of those appointments, of feeling guilty for watching too much television or hanging out on Pinterest for too many hours and why because you made fresh Noodles and no one does that anymore.

 Give yourself permission to go to that happy place, to take the jump, to make the leap, to pull out the mixer and throw in some flour and forget about what you didn't do and remember what you are gonna do:

Go Make Noodles. 

Why?

Because you can, because you're you.

Because no one ever asks "Why did you make fresh Noodles?" while they eat them.

They just slurp, eat and smile.😋

And you smile back.😃

Happy Noodling!🍜  Happy Ramen Eating!

Ingredients

  • 500g bread flour
  • 1 cup warm water
  • 1 tsp Sodium Carbonate Water (kansui)
  • 1 tsp kosher salt

Step 1

In the bowl of a stand mixer whisk together dry ingredients.

Step 2

Add water and kansui. Mix slowly until incorporated.

Step 3

Using the dough hook for the stand mixer or by hand mix until dough is elastic and when you push your finger into the dough it pops back up.  About 15-20 minutes if by hand. Less with dough hook.  Add water as needed if dough is not coming together or looks dry.

Step 4

Once dough is complete place in fridge for 30 minutes.  Remove from fridge and roll out slightly on floured countertop.  Make sure to make it more rectangle to fit inside of your pasta machine.

Step 5

Starting at Level 1 place dough through machine continuing until you have a few long layers of thin pasta.  I go to level 6 or 7 depending on how thin I want my noodles.  

Step 6

Place through spaghetti cutter in small batch layers. Place on a cookie sheet in piles and dust with flour until using.

Step 7

Boil a pot of water and after begins to boil add a handful of salt.  Toss in noodles and cook for two minutes and remove immediately with a mesh spider.  Add to soup and enjoy!

Tips

  • Wet dough is better than dry dough
  • Use the dough the day of or freeze as noodles for use later on. I place the noodles in piles on the cookie sheet and freeze as piles for 30 minutes then remove and place in ziploc bags in freezer for later use.

 

 

Homemade Ramen

“I was not prepared for the feel of the noodles in my mouth, or the purity of the taste. I had been in Japan for almost a month, but I had never experiences anything like this. The noodles quivered as if they were alive, and leapt into my mouth where they vibrated as if playing inaudible music.”
— Ruth Reichl

Ramen Soup

The first time I ever saw a real snowflake❄️ was in Vermont.  The kind where it doesn’t melt in your hand when you hold it.  You see the details and the intricacies all melded together in perfect formation. Amazing!

 The cold and the snow do not always mean you get to see these wonders.  Wet snow in the PNW is not the same as the dry flakes that fall in Vermont.  I have not made it to the Rockies so I will have to trust that the dry snow they claim to have is in fact dry like Vermont. My Northern East Coast experience was unique not only from the snowflakes but because  winter  took on more meaning than ever before. Things about winter that I love include:

  • I love snowshoeing. Often your tracks are the first in the snow after the animals. 🐾
  • I love the crisp cold night air. 🌌 It burns your face with a whip and a smack but reminds you why warmth is so important.
  • I love a hot jacuzzi tub with snow falling around.  It invigorates your mind to have the heat and cold attack your head from all sides.
  • And: I love soup.🍜 It fills  your insides and makes your cheeks turn crimson. 

Over the years soups have become my go to meal, that never requires recipe reading.   The base is the same in most soups you need a good stock whether from bones or vegetables. 

The best part of making soups is you can make them as fast or as slow as you want.  If you have little time you grab your mirepoix of celery, onions and carrots  and saute,  add some water, salt  and whatever other vegetables you have hanging around the house. 

Good soup though, the kind with layers is more than soup.  It is the difference between listening to a lovely orchestra and playing the violin in the symphony. Each player adds depth and meaning to the music just like each layer of stock base  is instrumental in creating the your soup stock. 

It’s no wonder that most books I have ever read about culinary schools always start with the base, a good stock.   Ramen need the same layers of attention.  It’s  base is full of love and sweat and time. 

I never regret making my Ramen stock, I only regret not making more.  I went straight to the source of what I have heard is the best Ramen around in the States from a book and  restaurant in New York called Momofuku.  Not yet having  had the privilege of eating at MoMofuku, chef David Chang is still in my world well known for his Ramen.

 His book Momofuku  burst forth with his Ramen broth recipe right from the start.  I assumed, I couldn’t go wrong.  I didn’t. 

His stock is what liquid gold must be like at the end of every rainbow. 

It is brilliant.

It’s shining.

It is beyond words.

Just eat it and you will know what I mean. You can Thank me later.

Ingredients for Ramen Broth

Momofuku
By David Chang, Peter Meehan
Buy on Amazon

Recipe from Book Momofuku

  • Two large pieces of dried seaweed
  • 6 quarts of Water
  • 2 cups of dried Shiitakes, rinsed
  • 4 pounds of raw chicken legs
  • 5 pounds of pork bones preferably the neck bones
  • 1 pound smoky bacon
  • 1 bunch of scallions roughly chopped including green stems
  • 1 medium  yellow onion  roughly chopped 
  • 2 large carrots roughly chopped
  • Soy sauce and Mirin and Kosher Salt to Taste
  • Toppings as you like: Yao Choy, scallions, mushrooms, etc.

Shiitake Mushrooms and Nori for Ramen Broth

Instructions for Broth:

Step 1

Rinse the dried seaweed under running water, then combine it with the water in an 8 quart stockpot. Bring the water to a simmer over high heat and turn off the heat. Let steep like tea for 10 minutes. Don't forget to set a timer!

Step 2

Remove the konbu from the pot using a mesh skimmer.  Turn the heat back up to high and bring the water to a boil, then turn the heat down so the liquid simmers gently.  Simmer for 30 minutes, until the mushrooms are plumped and rehydrated and have allowed the broth to have color and aroma.

Step 3

Heat the oven to 400 degrees F. (Unless you have done this a day ahead- See Tips below)

Step 4

Remove the mushrooms from the pot using a slotted spoon or the mesh spider spoon.  Add the raw chicken to the pot.  Keep the liquid at a gentle simmer, with bubbles lazily and occasionally breaking the surface. Skim and discard any froth, foam, or fat that rises to the surface of the broth while the chicken is simmering, and replenish the water as necessary to keep the chicken covered. After about 1 hour, test the chicken: the meat should pull away from the bones easily. If it doesn't simmer until that's the case and then remove the chicken from the pot again with the spider or slotted spoon.

Chicken and Bacon for Ramen Broth

Step 5 (or Day 1)

While the chicken is simmering, or the day before, put the pork bones on a baking sheet or in a roasting pan and slide them into the oven to brown for an hour; turn them over after about 30 minutes to ensure even browning.  This step can be done the day before!

Step 6

Remove the chicken from the pot and add the roasted bones to the broth, along with the bacon. Adjust the heat as necessary to keep the broth at a steady simmer; skim the scum and replenish the water as needed. After 45 minutes, fish out the bacon and discard it.  Then gently simmer the pork bones for 6 to 7 hours- as much time as your schedule allows.  Stop adding water to replenish the pot after 5 hours or so.  (I usually simmer about 3 hours)

Step 7

Add the scallions, onion, and carrots to the pot and simmer for the final 45 minutes.

Step 8

Remove and discard the spent bones and vegetables.  Pass the broth through a stainer lined with cheesecloth. You can use the broth at this point although I usually reduce it due to lack of storage in the refrigerator.  After reducing to a concentrated broth which entails cooking until about half.  Pour into container and place in fridge for later use or next day. When you want to use it dilute it with equal measure of water and reheat on the stove.

Step 9

Finish the broth by seasoning (do not do this and then place in fridge or freezer) to taste.  I usually add Soy Sauce and Mirin mixed in a small bowl a little at a time until the taste is just right.  Salty but not excessive.  You may also add kosher salt if you want just a little more salt.  Do not under-season however.  If you don't want to add salt this is not the soup for you. NO SOUP FOR YOU. 😜

Step 10

When broth is hot cook noodles in a pot of salted water, add toppings such as mushroom, cooked pork, scallions, bok choy, etc. and egg. Whatever you love on your ramen really.  Just remember it is all about the broth!

Next up I will tell you how to make your own Noodles so that it is the best Ramen you will ever eat in your life. 

Tips

  • Cooking the bones the day ahead makes it easier to throw  a piece of pork shoulder into the oven to have the shredded meat with the ramen. I love cooking a piece of shoulder at the same time as the bones simmer so as to have it all ready when the broth is ready.  
  • If you have access to fresh Ramen noodles at an Asian Market I recommend this over dry.  Or coming soon to the blog find out how to make your own and never buy them again.
  • Freeze the reduced broth in ice cube trays and have small bowls of ramen broth whenever you feel like it.  Best Bone Broth Ever.  Just remember to season after you have re-thawed not before.
  • I love Yau Choy instead of Bok Choy for my Ramen as I get more leafy greens than stems, if you can find it!
  • Don't throw away the chicken from the broth!  Use the chicken for the soup or make a chicken salad.  Make your own dumplings with the ingredients for the ramen and just use frozen dumpling sheets or won ton sheets.  Usually found in a frozen section of Asian Markets.

Happy Ramen Everyone!

 

 

Peanut Butter Cookies

“Empty?! You took all the cookies!”
”They were crying to get out of the jar... Cookies get claustrophobia too, you know.”
— Charles M. Schulz

Peanut Butter Cookies

If I don’t want to chat, I pull out a jar of peanut butter.  Is that an introvert thing?

 I am thinking, yes. It must be since it started at a young age with me.

Something about having a mouthful of peanut butter as a kid made it okay, in my mind to not answer adults questions. 

Like, where did you get that wood to build your fort? 

Uh, what wood?

Usually came out as "Wart Word"?

And since the comprehension seemed to ensue lack of communication the questioning stopped.

  Not that the peanut butter eating stopped.  

It just got dragged out until a glass of milk was nearby and handy.  

The fort, as it was known to us but might have looked more like the few pieces of wood nailed to one side of my best friend's house was our containment area. 

The wood was free. Right? I think that was the real question pondering the adult's mind when we mentioned building a "fort." 

 But, who leaves out wood near a giant trash bin for the day and wants it back? So what if it was exactly the size of a perfect 2x4 and had no cuts or slashes or saw marks.  

My story stands.  The wood was free...

 Guilt feelings make my stomach curdle around in my tummy for the construction crew that came out and couldn’t find the extra "wood" that they had left outside those 30+ years ago.

 But, we needed to build our fort and we needed wood.

Where else do you hide a time capsule to be opened in one month.

  A month?!

 My goodness, a month!  They say dog years are short imagine pre-teen time?

Might as well have said, forever.

At  least 4 episodes of Cheers would have passed by then.

By the way: if you remember Cheers, sorry to be age dating. It was a good show, don't be sorry. Keep smiling, I am.😊

Time capsule⌛️ questions like:

 Who’s your best friend?  Obvious answer. You buried it with her.

What’s your favorite animal?  Dogs, whales, and horses. The question just wasn't precise enough.

What color do you love?  purple or maybe pink These were pre-teen required favorites.

What do you wish you could have? A car or a house for my Barbie.  This was way before pre-teens today who are no doubt asking for a smart phone. I was a bit behind schedule, what can I say?

  I am sure the list was at least that interesting.  

Then again making a time capsule was not quite as self fulfilling as hauling the "load" up the hill and pounding the nails with all the force one could muster into the wood.

Imagine being ten, a girl and banging  the crap out of wood.  Every nail had a bit of a twist.

  Yeah, a carpenter.  I now know the feeling.

 Of course the advantage of not needing to worry if it would collapse was,  a giant benefit. Benefit two, was, after working hard sweating in our bathing suits, (typical carpenter safety outfit)  

 splashing and jumping in the doughboy pool for the ultimate cool down

 after at least 15 minutes of work.

 I never said we were go-getters, just hard working thieves.  

And as every wood worker knows lunch is always around the corner and that might have meant   peanut butter cookies had been made. 

Or maybe cream puffs? 

Or chocolate cake?

  It didn’t matter, it all tasted good and went down with a glass of ice cold milk.  I swear we ate a sandwich first.😉 Maybe even a few cut up carrots.

 Either way the lopsided fort got built.

The builders found more wood.

And the time capsule got opened before the autumn leaves came down.

 All in a hard day's work as a kid because I stuck peanut butter in my mouth and stopped answering questions.  I think it's safe to say I like peanut butter.

 These cookies are just a testament to how much.  Thanks Dorie 😊 for the peanut butter cookie recipe.

Sorry builders for any wood that went missing 😖...I promise to bake you a batch of cookies if I ever meet you. 😉

 

Pre-Baked Peanut Butter Cookies

Dorie Greenspan's Peanut Butter Cookies (with a white radish twist of Reese's peanut butter chips)

Ingredients

  • 2 1/2 cups AP flour
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 1/4 tsp sea salt
  • pinch of grated nutmeg
  • 2 sticks unsalted butter (room temp)
  • 1 cup smooth peanut butter (room temp)
  • 1 cup light brown sugar
  • 3/4 cup sugar
  • 2 large eggs (room temp)
  • 1/2 - 1 cup of reese's peanut butter chips
  • extra sugar for rolling

Instructions

Step 1

Position racks in the oven into thirds and preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.

Step 2

Whisk together the flour, baking powder and nutmeg.

Step 3 

With a mixer, beat the peanut butter, butter and salt together on medium speed until smooth, about 3 minutes.  Add both sugars and beat for another two minutes. One by one, add the eggs, beating for a minute after each egg goes in.  Turn off the mixer, and add all of the dry ingredients and pulse the machine a few times to start blending.  Next mix on low speed until the flour has almost disappeared into the dough.  Add the peanut butter chips and mix by hand to incorporate into the dough.

Step 4

Scoop out a level tablespoon of dough, roll it between your palms into a ball and dredge in sugar; place the cookies 2 inches apart on the baking sheets.  Dip the fork in the sugar and press against each cookie one way then the opposite way flattening the cookie and making a criss-cross pattern.

Step 5

Bake the cookies for about 12 minutes, until they're lightly colored but still soft.

Tips

  • weigh the dough of the first cookie ball if you want to have exactly all the same size of cookies
  • you can use any brand of peanut butter chips you like, I just prefer Reese's
  • You can freeze them individually and then place in a ziploc bag to bake another day.  Don't defrost just bake a few minutes a longer.

Enjoy with a glass of cold milk, dunked in some hot chocolate, tea or coffee.