Ramen Umami Broth

[Willy]

Thought I would do as guys requested and post how I made the Broth in a separate piece so all would see. Basically you can use either a beef version or a pork version. Only real difference obviously is the bones you use. I will post a link at the bottom that explains better what Umami is, it is important to understand. It is all about the Broth.

So with this version I used beef hind shanks and a whole beef leg bone cut up, one trick I found out was to put the bones in water just covering them, bring to a quick boil for five to ten minutes then DUMP the water. This gets rid of the scum and most importantly the hemoglobin that turns your broth brown.



We save all our veggie cuttings, veggies that are going to go bad soon if we don't use etc. and freeze them for stock. I had two full bags in this pot.




So you fill your big pot with clean water, your bones and meat, a bunch of veggies (if you don't have what we have for veggies you can just use the standard celery onion carrots etc. fresh from the grocer) and bring to a simmering boil.

Let her simmer, in this case about six hours and you end up with this



Then you drain it through a sieve and you end up with this



Now you can use right away which we did but we also made a lot extra and froze it.

Now comes the additions when you are going to make your Ramen, you will need to stop somewhere that has good Asian stuff.

Start the Broth simmering and add fresh diced ginger and garlic and 2 tbsp of Oyster Sauce and diced onion



A couple of tbsp of Dashi Sauce



1/4 cup or so of Sake



A tbsp or so of Toasted Sesame Oil and just a few drops of the Chili Oil, hot stuff. These are two of the better ones available



You let it all simmer for and hour or so, and then add some shrooms of your choice a little fresh ground to taste

These two links explain the concept of Umami and the extra taste buds science has identified recently that the Japanese have known about for centuries. 

http://www.seriouseats.com/2012/02/h...me-recipe.html

http://www.molecularrecipes.com/mole...tronomy/umami/

Pick up some scallions, radish, meat of your choice, make the marinated eggs I posted in the original post, some bean sprouts and especially pick up some good Japanese Ramen Noodles. There really is no substitute in my opinion.

If you are lucky like I was here you end up with this, be prepared to have one of the best taste sensations there is.

[drholly]

Looks fantastic! Thank you for posting this.

[Pappymn]

Great post!  I have heard roasting the bones first is the way to go when making stock. Any opinions on that?

[Smokin Don]

Willy, TFS both posts looks delicious!!! Don

[Willy]

Great post!  I have heard roasting the bones first is the way to go when making stock. Any opinions on that?

Never saw that in the traditional Japanese recipe's I saw. Could be an interesting experiment. I would be afraid of loosing some of that fabulous marrow you get out of those bones simmering them for hours and hours.

[CDN Smoker]

Sir, this is a fantastic post. Thank You and Bookmarked

I heading on safari today into the heart of Chinese country in Canada "Vancouver" I will look for these ingredients

[CDN Smoker]

Great post!  I have heard roasting the bones first is the way to go when making stock. Any opinions on that?

Might be more of a gravey thing Pappy, but im not sure either

[drholly]

Here is a link to the reasons for boiling vs. browning the bones - kind of wordy, but a very good explanation.

http://www.seriouseats.com/2012/02/how-to-make-tonkotsu-ramen-broth-at-home-recipe.html

BTW his method pretty much replicates Willy's.

[Willy]

Interesting article, glad he realized he could boil the bones quick and get rid of the hemoglobin and scum. Then simmer for hours with fresh water. Doing that I never end up ladling scum off during the broth making. It is very regional as far as toppings go, lots of choices and lots of flavor.
Also something else he says is not quite accurate, he mentions pouring the broth on the noodles in a bowl. That is not how its done. Ramen Noodles are done by cooking them in boiling water in some kind of vessel where they can be contained. The Japanese version is a perforated cylinder style container. They are cooked till they are just barely al' Dente. Then they are completely drained. Then added to the bowl with the hot broth then poured over them.
Just thought I should clarify

[drholly]

Interesting article, glad he realized he could boil the bones quick and get rid of the hemoglobin and scum. Then simmer for hours with fresh water. Doing that I never end up ladling scum off during the broth making. It is very regional as far as toppings go, lots of choices and lots of flavor.
Also something else he says is not quite accurate, he mentions pouring the broth on the noodles in a bowl. That is not how its done. Ramen Noodles are done by cooking them in boiling water in some kind of vessel where they can be contained. The Japanese version is a perforated cylinder style container. They are cooked till they are just barely al' Dente. Then they are completely drained. Then added to the bowl with the hot broth then poured over them.
Just thought I should clarify

Thanks, Willy - good catch, I missed that!