Recipe: Shohei’s Special Pork & Sesame Ramen Noodle Soup

Ramen is truly a Japanese national obsession, now becoming global. Ramen-ya, restaurants specializing in ramen dishes, are found all over, with a wide degree of regional variation. I’ve used instant ramen noodles here, but if you have access to fresh ramen, use them!

Ingredients:

• 1 teaspoon sesame oil
• 1/ 2 pound ground pork
• 4 slices prepared Chinese roasted pork (chashu optional)
• 1 tablespoon chili bean paste
• 1 teaspoon finely minced garlic
• 2 packages (31/ 2 ounces each) instant ramen noodles
• 4 cups chicken broth
• 1/ 4 cup sesame seeds, toasted and ground (page 162), plus more for garnish
• Hot chili oil (optional)
• 2 green onions, including tender green tops, minced
• 4 slices bamboo shoots (optional)
• 1/ 4 cup bean sprouts, both ends trimmed (optional)
• 1 medium-boiled egg, boiled about 7 minutes, peeled and halved lengthwise (optional)

In a frying pan over medium-high heat, warm the sesame oil. When the oil is hot, add the pork, breaking it up with a wooden spatula or spoon. Add the chili bean paste and the garlic and cook, stirring often, until the pork is cooked through and a little crispy, about 4 minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside.

Discard the flavor packets from the ramen packages, fill a saucepan with water, and cook the ramen as directed on the package. Meanwhile, in another saucepan, bring the broth to a boil.

Just before the noodles are done, divide the ground sesame seeds between 2 large soup bowls and pour in the hot broth, dividing it evenly. Drain the noodles, add half of them to each soup bowl, and swirl them so that they don’t stick together.

Drizzle in a little hot chili oil, if using, and then top each bowl with half of the pork mixture, chashu slices, green onions, bamboo slices, and bean sprouts and a boiled egg half (if using). Garnish with sesame seeds and serve right away.

Note: Because ramen broth can be so complex, it is rarely made at home in Japan except with the use of a prepackaged soup base. So when ramen is cooked at home, it is as individualized as the person preparing it.