Miso Ramen

I have an obsession with Ramen. My two favorite places in Pittsburgh to go to are Ramen Bar in Squirrel Hill and Fukuda in Bloomfield (my old stomping grounds!) Just Yelping it now, Fukuda is now closed. RIP best ramen ever with pork belly. 

It's crazy how much the restaurant scene in Pittsburgh has changed since I've left!! So many new places to try. To be honest, I'll probably just continue to go to my favorites like OTB. I do want to try the new Smoke location though.

I haven't had ramen yet in Philly but I heard there's some good hipster Jewish ramen in south philly!! My cousin told me about it!! Can't wait to try.

I have had ramen at Momofuku in NYC and it is fantastic. Also when we had ramen in Japan, there were lots of hungover dudes at the same place as us. Ramen = the best hangover food ever I guess?? Either way I'm all about ramen for breakfast.

I found large packets of ramen noodles (instead of the instant ones) at whole foods. You can also find fresh ramen noodles at certain whole foods or Asian grocery stores.

Sorry in advance for sucky pictures. I was in a hurry to eat. Will replace later.

Dashi Ramen with Kimchi from Macheesmo

Makes enough for 4 people

For the broth:

3 large pieces kombu

1 ounce shiitake, dried (I used porcini)

4 cloves garlic, crushed

3 inches ginger, roughly chopped

10 cups filtered water

3-4 dried bird eye chilis

2/3 cup dried bonito flakes

3 tablespoons soy tamari

3 tablespoons rice wine vinegar

1/4 cup red miso paste

Note: I didn't peel the garlic or ginger since it was going to be strained anyways.

Place the kombu sheets with the 10 cups water in a large soup pot covered overnight. (This step is optional)

Then bring the pot of water to just under a simmer. Add the garlic, ginger, mushrooms, and chilis. Cook for 30 minutes adjusting heat as necessary to keep it under a simmer.

Then add the bonito flakes. Simmer for 4 minutes.

Strain the broth and place back into pot. Discard everything else. Bring broth to a simmer and cook for 1 hour until half the broth is evaporated. Add tamari and rice wine vinegar to flavor as it is cooking according to your taste.

When ready to serve, add 1 cup hot broth to miso. Stir to dissolve and add back to the soup pot. Keep under a simmer to serve.

To get ramen bowls ready:

Cooked ramen noodles

Soft boiled egg, sliced in half

Cubed tofu, raw or baked

Shredded carrots

Sliced snap peas

Sliced green onions

Sliced shiitake mushrooms (boiled for 1 minute)

Kimchi (I used local red cabbage kimchi from our farmer's market!!!)

Nori sheets

Sriracha

Black sesame seeds

Add noodles plus toppings of choice. Ladle broth over. Serve hot!!!