Shio Ramen
Like Miso Ramen (page 19), Shio Ramen hails from the northern Japanese city of Sapporo, and is a perfect antidote to a frigid winter day. Shio means “salt” in Japanese, and indeed, the clear broth has an appealing sea-salt flavor. These noodles are a relatively late addition to the ramen lineup, but they’re now popular across Japan. This is the classic recipe, which is loaded with fresh vegetables.
Recipe information
Yield
serves 4
Ingredients
Preparation
Step 1
Prepare an ice bath and place a large pot of water over high heat. When the water comes to a boil, add the pea pods and cook for 1 minute. Remove the pea pods from the water and submerge in the ice bath. Once cool, drain the pea pods and cut in half. Set aside. Keep the boiling water to cook the noodles in later.
Step 2
In a bowl, cover the wakame with the hot water and let sit for 10 minutes. Drain well and set aside.
Step 3
Combine the chicken stock and Shio Base in a pot and place over high heat to make the shio broth. Bring just to a boil, then reduce the heat to low and cover to keep warm.
Step 4
Heat 2 tablespoons of the vegetable oil in a very large sauté pan or wide-bottomed pot over high heat. Once hot, add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds, stirring constantly, but be careful not to let the garlic burn. Mix in the ground pork and cook for 2 minutes. Add the hoisin sauce and tobanjan and continue cooking, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon to break up the pork into small pieces. Cook for 5 minutes, then remove the pork from the pan and set aside.
Step 5
Add the remaining 2 tablespoons vegetable oil to the pan and return it to high heat. Add the onions, carrots, mushrooms, cabbage, and pea pods. Cook until the vegetables begin to soften, stirring often, about 3 minutes. Mix in the bean sprouts and reserved pork. Cook for 1 minute, then pour the heated shio broth into the pan. Bring the liquid to a boil, then reduce the heat to low.
Step 6
Cook the ramen noodles in the reserved boiling water according to package instructions. Drain well and divide among 4 bowls. Top each bowl with one-fourth of the broth, vegetables, and pork, and garnish with the ground sesame seeds, reserved wakame, scallions, and hot chili oil to taste.
