00:00Shio ramen looks simple, but it's one of the hardest ramen broths to nail.
00:04Watch chicken, konbu and katsuobushi bloom into a crystal clear, smoky sweet broth with
00:10golden leek aroma oil whispering on top.
00:13Grab a pot and let's cook.
00:15For a printable version of this recipe, visit my website, just google shio ramen statue
00:21to find me.
00:22We're making soup for 4 plus servings, so add 2 liters of water to a pot.
00:27If you can't use soft or filtered water, it extracts glutamates from konbu much more
00:33cleanly than hard water, giving you the delicate crystal clear base we're after.
00:39Next we have 10 grams of konbu and 15 grams of dried scallops.
00:44These are dried scallops, also known as konpoi.
00:47They are often used in Cantonese cuisine.
00:50Drop those in the water and let them soak for 30 minutes.
00:54If dried scallops aren't available, no worries.
00:59You can substitute with the packing liquid from canned clams or scallops like this, or
01:04clam juice.
01:05If you use either of these instead, you can add it later.
01:09The whole point of these is to add succinic acid to our soup.
01:13While you wait for the soak, press the aromatics.
01:16Roughly slice the ginger.
01:18Grab 2 garlic cloves and give each one a gentle crack with the flat of your knife.
01:24This also makes it easier to peel.
01:26Trim a Japanese leek, also known as naganegi.
01:29We want the green part for stock, the white part later for the oil.
01:34Japanese leek is sometimes labelled Tokyo Negi.
01:37Depending on where you are, if you can't find it, regular leeks, mild onions or shallot
01:43green will be good subs.
01:46After 30 minutes, set the pot over medium heat.
01:52Add 200 grams of ground chicken and gently break it apart with chopsticks without vigorous stirring.
01:59I'm using ground chicken today, but you can also use ground turkey, chicken wings or drumsticks instead.
02:06Remove the kombu and scallops just before the water reaches simmer to avoid sliminess or bitterness.
02:12Then hold the pot at a bare simmer, about 82 to 90 degrees Celsius.
02:18Don't toss the used kombu, it still has life in it, and makes excellent kombu onigiri fillings.
02:25Lower the heat to maintain the gentle simmer and add the sliced ginger, the garlic cloves and the green part
02:33of the negi.
02:34Simmer for 30 minutes uncovered, you're looking for a light savoury aroma and just a few drifting bubbles.
02:42Although it's not happening this time, skim the form as it appears, clarity is the entire point here, it's already
02:48smelling good.
02:49While the simmers make the aroma oil, what we call komiyabura in Japanese, in a small pan, add 3 tablespoons
02:57of lard,
02:583 tablespoons of finely diced negi, white part, and 2 cloves of garlic.
03:04Warm them slowly over low heat until the alums turn pale blonde and fragrant, then remove from heat before browning
03:11too much.
03:12If you don't have lard, you can use chicken or duck fat. If anything, if you have access to these,
03:17these are more ideal.
03:19I just can't find them easily in Japan.
03:21And again, you can substitute Japanese leek with the white part of a regular leek or onion.
03:28Make the tare at the same time. In a small saucepan, add 4 tablespoons of sake, 2 tablespoons of white
03:35wine,
03:351 tablespoon of mirin, and 2 teaspoons of sea salt.
03:40Heal over medium while stirring until the salt dissolves completely into the mixture,
03:45lay a bubble for about 2 minutes or until you can no longer smell the alcohol.
03:51Then turn off the heat and stir in the Japanese light soy sauce, usukuchi shoyu, or white soy sauce.
03:58If you can find white soy sauce, which is called shiro shoyu, it keeps the broth even paler while still
04:05adding fermented depth.
04:07Light color soy sauce is the next option. Regular shoyu works in a pinch but will tint the soup
04:12and introduce darker color and rounder notes. After 30 minutes of simmering, lift out the chicken
04:20and aromatics with a mesh spoon. Bring the broth just to the edge of a simmer, turn off the heat,
04:29add 15 grams of katsuobushi, about a handful, and steep for 2 minutes before lifting it out.
04:36The short infusion captures smoky sweet fragrance and inoxinate without going bitter or astringent.
04:43Set a fine mesh strainer lined with 2 layers of kitchen paper or a clean cloth.
04:49Strain the broth without pressing. For restaurant level clarity you can use cheese gloss or even coffee
04:56filters. Measure the broth you have left and top up with hot water to 1400ml. If you use packing
05:04liquid or clam juice, add it now. This amount gives you 350ml per serving and looks in a consistent
05:12tarot to broth ratio so every bowl lands at the same salinity. So always check the volume at
05:18this point. You can even stretch it to more than 4 servings if you use less broth per bowl.
05:25Now cook the ramen noodles according to the package but aiming for slightly firmer than usual.
05:31Shio shines with thin to medium thin lower hydration noodles for the delicate snappy bite.
05:37And if you feel like a weak in project, homemade noodles are a satisfying rabbit hole to go down.
05:44Drain them thoroughly. Restaurants season each bowl individually with tare and broth separately like this,
05:51but that's because they're dealing with gigantic volumes. So instead for the home assembly method,
05:58combine all of your tare with the reheated broth first, then divide between bowls.
06:03This ensures even seasoning across servings, much safer than trying to balance each bowl individually
06:10like restaurants do. Add the cooked noodles, drizzle the infused oil, then toppings.
06:19Now I wanna take time to talk about the toppings for this soup. You might think fatty pork belly
06:24chashu, but actually chashu doesn't go well here because it can cloud your hard-won delicate broth.
06:30In fact, many contemporary shio ramen shops have moved towards leaner, thinly sliced ham-like proteins.
06:39So my alternative suggestion is to use lean deli meats like pastrami, turkey breast,
06:44prosciutto, or quality chicken cold cuts. And I honestly think they're far better options than
06:51fatty pork chashu for this delicate broth. Plus, it's way easier to sauce. I'm going with dry,
06:57cured ham today. For non-protein ideas, I add soft boiled eggs, menma, and chopped green onions.
07:05Finally, yuzu or lemon zest. Remember, keeping it light and minimal is key for shio ramen.
07:11There you have it. Serve immediately. Shio ramen waits for no one.
07:16Storage notes. Cool the clear broth and keep it airtight in the fridge for 3-4 days.
07:22Or, freeze broth in portions for up to one month. When you want to use it, gently reheat the broth
07:28until steaming, but not boiling, then assemble. Simple as that. This recipe genuinely suits batch cooking.
07:35Want even more delicious recipes? Grab my free cookbook from the link in the description.
07:41Okay, let's go over the ingredients one more time. And if you're ready to cook,
07:45grab the written instructions by clicking the full recipe box with a picture that's about to pop up on
07:50your screen. Here we go, the link to the full recipe is on the screen for you now. And if
08:01you want
08:01to watch more similar videos, don't miss my ramen playlist popping up on your screen as well.
08:05Thanks so much for watching, and I'll see you in the next one. Bye!
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