Stamina ramen
Stamina ramen Saturday October 8
When I was living with Riho, there was a ramen shop where I ate three times in the same week. It was that good. The first time, I ordered nori ramen (seaweed ramen). Even though I could read most of the menu, I could not figure out what everything was. Like English, pronouncing a word and knowing its meaning are only partialy related. I knew what nori was, so I went with it.
In a Japanese ramen shop, you can usually see the cooks working. The old man that ran the place was cooking up something that looked like Mongolian beef. "Not ramen, but looks good," I thought. Then, the assembly cook got out a ramen bowl, added broth, noodles, and a few veggies and set it next to the old man. He dumped the Mongolian beef-like dish into the ramen.
This dish was delivered to the table behind me, so I got a better look. I then asked the waitress what that customer had ordered. Apparently, it's called "Stamina Ramen". Supposedly, it gives you plenty of energy (read: caloric intake). I ordered it the next time; it was as delicious as it looked.
Last night, I had a hankering for ramen, but I didn't want to eat out. So I got creative, and I am now proud to present Mark's Stamina Ramen. This recipe should serve two.
Ingredients
- 200g thin-sliced (shaved) pork†
- 1 package of soba (buckwheat) noodles
- 1 or 2 consomme boullion cubes‡
- 1-2 cloves fresh garlic
- 1 yellow onion
- 1 head of nappa (chinese cabbage)
- 1 1/2 cup chopped scallions
- 3 tbl canola oil
- 4 tbl Kikkoman soy sauce¹
- 3 tsp sugar
Preparation
- Boil enough water to cook the noodles, and then add them. If you use soba, there will be a "scum" that collects at the top of the water. Use a ladle to remove as much of this as you can. Cook the noodles until they are al dente. Don't overcook them; they are going to absorb a bit more water in the soup. Strain the noodles, and run water through them to keep them from sticking together. Set the noodles aside.
- Prepare the scallions. Properly wash them, remove any of that slimy film-skin around the bottom if any has developed, and chop them. Make sure to use "both parts" of the scallion: down by the base and up at the top. You'll probably use about three "stalks". Set aside. Then slice the yellow onion in half, and then slice the halves into thirds. Depending on its size, you may not need the entire onion. Use your own discretion.
- Chop the nappa until you have about 2 cups of it. It's not a science, people. It's an art. Use your judgement.
- Mince the garlic. First, peel away all of the non-edible skin. By applying pressure to the flat surface of a kitchen knife, smash the garlic against the cutting board until it "pops". Then, cut it into small bits. (Shoutout to Todd for teaching me that trick.)
- Fill a pot with about 1L of water for the broth. Check the boullion container for exact proportions, but it's usually about 1 cube per 500mL. Bring the water to a simmer, not a boil. Whenever that occurs, add the boullion cube(s). If you can't measure 1L, pour 30 ounces. Use a 20-ounce container (a plastic Diet Coke bottle, et al); that should work. Proceed to the next step.
- Combine garlic, sliced yellow onion, pork, oil, and soy sauce in a fry pan. When you add the onion, separate it so it cooks evenly. Bring to a sautee, and be careful not to scorch the onions. When the pork is beginning to cook, add the sugar slowly so it dissolves evenly. You may need to add a tablespoon of water here and there to keep the sautee from becoming too solid.
- When you're done cooking the meat, add the scallions and nappa. Mix them around thoroughly. Taste-test the onions: they should be soft, but still hold some texture. If onions could be al dente, then yes, you'd want them al-dente.
- Turn off the gas, or remove the sautee from the surface (electric stove). Make sure that the boullion cubes have fully dissolved.
- Split the ingredients among two ramen bowls. First, put a handful of the strained noodles into each, ladle the broth, and then add the sautee. Stir, and serve.
Notes
† In Japan, you can find this kind of pork everywhere. It is essentially small slices of pork that are just a bit thicker than processed sandwich meat. If you can't find it at the store, just buy some pork and cut it yourself; it shouldn't be that hard. I just wrote "200g" because I needed some sort of measure to make this look like a legitimate recipe. Do what I did: use as much as "looks right".
‡ If you don't know what consomme is, or can't find it, just use a beef or chicken boullion cube. And then take some French.
¹ If you think that you can use La Choy and get away with it, we're not friends anymore. It MUST be Kikkoman. You should be using Kikkoman for all your cooking anyway, so just go bite the bullet and buy some.
You can't have a good dish without good ingredients. I make a stink about the soy sauce because truly, there is a difference. Next time you need soy sauce, don't buy the Wisconsin-brewed Kikkoman; check the international aisle of the supermarket, or go to an Asian market and buy imported soy sauce. Even if you can't read Japanese, you'll be able to recognize it because it'll be a Kikkoman label, and it'll look just like the American version. It should have four characters (しょうゆ) on the front. Ask if you can't find it. It's not that much more expensive.
You can use whatever oil you'd like. Avoiding olive or peanut; lighter oils work better for soups. Canola or sunflower will both work, I used canola.
You'll probably need to look in the international aisle of the supermarket for soba noodles. They are brown noodles, and look a little "unrefined". Instead of coming in horizontal, long packages like spaghetti, they come in tall packages that contain 3-4 bundles of noodles. I recommend using one or two of these bundles; that should be enough. If they don't have them there, they will definitely have them at an Asian market.
If you try this recipe, use your head. I guessed the proportion numbers, as I never measure when I cook. Do what tastes good. And by all means, offer feedback, or let me know where the directions weren't clear.
