top of page

Ramen Bowl Recipe




Ok ok, I have so much to say about ramen. A few years ago, well before Zvi became a chef (or even cooked), we watched a Chef’s Table episode on ramen. It was about a Jewish guy from New York who moved to Japan, fell in love with ramen bowls, and opened a hole in the wall ramen bar - which ended up becoming one of the best restaurants in the world. Before watching that episode, the only thing I knew about ramen was in relation to the salty Osem tradition soups (which are delicious, don’t get me wrong). But the ramen bowls this guy was making in Japan were something we had never seen before, especially in our kosher world.


After the ramen episode, we decided that we needed to try making it at home. I was the cook at the time and I took my ramen experiments very seriously. There are mainly four components I would say - the broth, the ramen noodles, the soft egg, and toppings. None of these components take too long, but they do call for using a bunch of pots and bowls. So, whenever I made ramen, the kitchen was an absolute disaster (I hope for your sake that you’re more organized than me). After weeks of trying different recipes, we finally landed on a pastrami ramen and it stuck. I became the ramen queen. We were obsessed. I made it weekly.


Ramen bowls have recently made a comeback in our house. Zvi started off by following a recipe for a ginger based broth. He has since tweaked it so much that this recipe is now his own. He made it the other day at work for lunch for his colleagues and they went crazy for it (and now they make requests in advance). We even sent it to friends for a meal train. It's just a very fun dish to make and build. And wholesome for a cool winter night. Or summer. Honestly, I'll have it any day.


The other night while he was making it at home, he was changing it up again and I panicked - “Zvi why fix something that’s not broken? What if I don’t like it this time?” (I’m his pickiest customer). To which he said, “I want to try something new with it.”


“Fine.” I answered skeptically.


After he finished making it, I took one spoonful and was blown away.


“It gets better and better every time” I said. Note to self, let the chef innovate.


Anyway, I present to you Zvi’s ramen bowl recipe - a ginger based broth with soy-cilantro ramen noodles, soft egg, garlic chili oil and topped with whatever else you want. Make it with meat, make it with chicken, make it vegetarian...


P.s. We used to watch Chef’s Table all the time, and once, while traveling in Peru, we were watching an episode after a long day of hiking in Cusco. During the episode that night, I turned to Zvi and said - “if you were to ever switch career paths, I think being a chef would really suit your personality. “I think so too.” He said. All the chefs’ stories were the same - people who liked to move, hated the rigidness of a classroom, were very creative and needed an outlet. And here we are, years later, and I’m writing up a recipe by Zvi. Life is funny.


RECIPE


(Makes 3litres of broth)


What you'll need


For the broth:


2 liters water

1 liter Chicken or beef stock (the prepackaged stuff works)

200g sliced fresh ginger

Garlic - whole head

1 large onion

2 carrots

3-4 dried shiitakes

1 lemongrass stalk

1/2 fennel bulb

Aromatics of your choice (e.g., peppercorns)

Salt & pepper to taste


For the garlic chilli oil

2 tbsp red chilli flakes

1 tbsp paprika

3 minced cloves of garlic

200 ml olive oil


For the noodles

Ramen noodles of your choice (recommend 2 packages)

2 tbsp soy sauce

2 tbsp lemon juice

2 tbsp chopped cilantro


For the eggs

Eggs

Ice water


For the toppings

Scallions

And any other topping you'd like (cooked chicken, meat, julienned carrots, sautéed mushrooms etc)


Instructions


Broth


Step 1: Combine 2 litres of water in a pot with 1 litre of chicken or beef stock (could be the vegetarian store bought ones).


Step 2: Add 200g of sliced fresh ginger, whole head of garlic (cut in half - with the skin and everything), one large onion roughly chopped, 2 carrots roughly chopped, lemongrass stalk and fennel bulb cut in half and really any vegetable or aromatics you like (peppercorns, bay leaves, thyme, parsley etc).


Step 3: Bring pot to a boil and cover. Lower the heat, and simmer for 45 minutes. Depending on how strong you want to feel the ginger burn, simmer for longer or shorter. Strain the liquid and return to pot. Season with salt and pepper.


Garlic chili oil (*optional)


Step 1: Put 2 tbsp red chili flakes, 1 tbsp paprika, 3 minced garlic cloves and pinch of salt in a large heat proof bowl.

Step 2: Separately heat 200ml olive oil on medium heat until very hot but not smoking.

Step 3: Carefully pour the hot oil over the chilli garlic mixture (recommend opening your windows before). Set aside to allow oil to infuse.


Ramen noodles


Cook according to the package instructions. Strain and mix with 2 tbsp soy sauce, 2 tbsp lemon juice and 2 tbsp chopped cilantro (don’t skip the fresh cilantro unless you’re one of those people who seriously dislikes the taste, I find it really adds!!)


Soft-boiled eggs


Bring pot of water to a boil, carefully add your eggs and cook for 7 minutes. Remove eggs and put straight into a bowl of ice water to stop the cooking.


Toppings


Okay so really you can use anything to top it with. We’ve done it with boneless chicken thighs (spiced and quickly broiled), leftover smoked ribs, sausages, pastrami…Honestly anything you want. Veggie ideas - blanched bok choy, sauteed mushrooms, julienned carrots etc.


Assembly


Choose your bowl. Place noodles first, spoon over the broth, place sliced chicken or meat, cut the egg and garnish with finely chopped scallions, drizzle chilli oil (psa, start with a drop and take it from there).


Any broth you have left, you can freeze for next time!


*According to Zvi, the garlic chili oil is not optional.


Till next time!

Sarit


When Zvi made it at work he added smoked boneless chicken thighs.


Adding the garlic chili oil

Broth in progress - peels and all!



The ramen bowl in all its glory.


The original ramen bowl, by me.


If you have any questions about the recipe, feel free to message me on instagram - eatszlife.

Comments


bottom of page