Japanese Ramen Noodles
If you have known me for a long time, or you've been reading this, or my old blog (www.theenlightenedchef.blogspot.com), then you know that I used to live in Tokyo, Japan for a couple of years. I loved Japan, and I especially loved the cuisine. One of my favorite things while there was to visit the small, local (every neighborhood seemed to have at least one) Ramen Shops that seemed to be everywhere. Each shop I visited had its own proprietary and "secret recipe" for their noodles and the soup broth in which they were served.
Thus, it has taken me a long time to find and tweak a recipe for fresh Ramen noodles that I consider share-worthy. I have finally found that recipe. Before you begin, you need to know a few things.
One of the key ingredients to making Ramen chewy is a substance called Lye Water. What is Lye, you ask? Lye Water (sometimes called “Lime Water") is caustic or corrosive liquid, which means it can corrode or ‘eat away’ solid objects. It is also a poison. If it is used in the wrong way, it can injure people or make people sick. Lye Water is used in many different ways by different groups of people. It tends to be used:to soften food or add flavour when cooking meat, fish, rice,noodles and/or vegetables like corn, beans, maize or okra. So you can see now that this substance needs to be handled with great respect and care. It must be measured exactly and not left out around children or pets.
Now that you are in the know; here are a few other items you need: a scale that weighs grams (this is an EXACT SCIENCE), a stand mixer, a pasta roller/cutter, and a good quality strainer.Here we go:
Ramen Noodles
480g All Purpose Flour
120g Bread (High Gluten) Flour
1tsp Salt
1 cup of cool distilled water
2tsp. (10 grams) Lye water mixed into 90g cool distilled water
Place the flours and the salt into the bowl if a stand mixer, with the dough hook attachment in place. Mix the lye water mixture and plain water together. With the mixer running at speed 3, pour in the water. Allow the dough to knead for 10 minutes. This will produce a dry, tight dough.
Cut the dough into 6 pieces, dust them with flour, and wrap each ball in plastic. Allow the dough to rest for 4-5 hours in the fridge. If your dough turns yellow to green don't panic, this is normal and the color will disappear during the cooking process.
Flatten your dough balls into small rectangles and run each ball, one by one through a dough roller until you reach the #4 thickness. You should have strips 2 1/2 to 3 feet long. Ramen is supposed to be long in order to really enjoy the art of slurping it up with chop sticks.
Cut the dough strips with the spaghetti cutter attachment.
Toss your ramen liberally in flour to prevent sticking.
Bring your largest pot, half full of water to a roaring boil. Add half of the Ramen and cook EXACTLY two minutes. Don't worry that the water stops boiling when you add the noodles. it will heat back up in a few seconds. Reapeat with your remaining noodles.
Once your timer goes off, pour the noodles into a large strainer and rinse them thoroughly until they are cooled and no longer feel 'slimy'.
This is how you know you removed the lye from the cooked noodles. Place the Ramen into 6 Ramen soup bowls, add a strong meaty stock, and top with your favorite Ramen soup Toppings. Slurp and enjoy!!!
Ramen Noodles
480g All Purpose Flour
120g Bread (High Gluten) Flour
1tsp Salt
1 cup of cool distilled water
2tsp. (10 grams) Lye water mixed into 90g cool distilled water
Place the flours and the salt into the bowl if a stand mixer, with the dough hook attachment in place. Mix the lye water mixture and plain water together. With the mixer running at speed 3, pour in the water. Allow the dough to knead for 10 minutes. This will produce a dry, tight dough.
Cut the dough into 6 pieces, dust them with flour, and wrap each ball in plastic. Allow the dough to rest for 4-5 hours in the fridge. If your dough turns yellow to green don't panic, this is normal and the color will disappear during the cooking process.
Flatten your dough balls into small rectangles and run each ball, one by one through a dough roller until you reach the #4 thickness. You should have strips 2 1/2 to 3 feet long. Ramen is supposed to be long in order to really enjoy the art of slurping it up with chop sticks.
Cut the dough strips with the spaghetti cutter attachment.
Toss your ramen liberally in flour to prevent sticking.
Bring your largest pot, half full of water to a roaring boil. Add half of the Ramen and cook EXACTLY two minutes. Don't worry that the water stops boiling when you add the noodles. it will heat back up in a few seconds. Reapeat with your remaining noodles.
Once your timer goes off, pour the noodles into a large strainer and rinse them thoroughly until they are cooled and no longer feel 'slimy'.
This is how you know you removed the lye from the cooked noodles. Place the Ramen into 6 Ramen soup bowls, add a strong meaty stock, and top with your favorite Ramen soup Toppings. Slurp and enjoy!!!
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| My favorite Raman toppings: blanced baby bokchoy, sweet corn, roast pork loin, medium boiled egg, and shiitake. |
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