Level Up Your Ramen!いつものラーメンを格上げ！
Level Up Your Ramen! いつものラーメンを格上げ！
Turn your everyday instant ramen into something special with a few delicious toppings! In this recipe, we make soft and flavorful ajitama (seasoned ramen eggs), quick teriyaki pork as an easy alternative to traditional chashu, and add spinach and corn for extra flavor and color. Finish with garlic and a drizzle of La-Yu (spicy Japanese chili oil) for an extra kick. An easy and quick way to level up your favorite ramen at home without making everything from scratch.
Ingredients
Method
- To make ajitama, the seasoned egg, first make the marinade. Add 1 tbsp of mirin, 3/4 tbsp of sake, 1/2 tsp of sugar, and 3 1/3 tbsp of soy sauce to a small pot and turn on the heat to medium. Also, add one clove of garlic.
- Once the sauce starts boiling, lower the heat, simmer for a couple of minutes, then turn off the heat and let it cool.
- Bring water to a boil and add a little vinegar. gently lower the cold eggs into the water with a ladle.
- Boil them for about 7 to 7 1/2 minutes. Gently stir them occasionally to help keep the yolks centered. As soon as they're done, transfer them into ice water.
- Once they're completely cool, gently crack the shells all over and peel them carefully.
- In order to marinate just 2 eggs whilst still keeping the shape, put a zip-lock bag over the egg container, return each egg to its own little spot, and gently pour in the marinade. Add the garlic into the bag as well. Leave in refrigerator for half a day or overnight. Turn the eggs occasionally so they develop an even color, and make sure the bag is tightly closed so the sauce doesn't leak.
- For the teriyaki pork, first season the pork loin all over with salt and black pepper.
- Then lightly coat it with all-purpose flour.
- Heat a frying pan over medium-high heat and add about 1 tsp of oil. Add the pork and brown it nicely on all sides.
- Carefully remove any excess oil from the pan with a paper towel.
- Turn the heat to low. Add 2 tbsp of sake, 1 tsp of sugar, 2 tbsp of sou sauce and 1 tbsp of mirin. Keep simmering and turning the pork so that the beautiful sauce coats the entire surface as it reduces.
- When the sauce has reduced and the pork is completely cooked through, turn off the heat. Let it rest briefly.
- Slice the meat carefully, at a angle.
- Cook the instant ramen according to the package directions, and pour the ramen and soup into a bowl.
- Add some of the teriyaki pork on the ramen.
- Then add the cooked spinach, that has been washed, and boiled for just 30 seconds, then drained and cut into bite sized pieces.
- Add the corn, which can be briefly boiled fresh corn, or canned/frozen corn.
- Carefully cut an ajitama egg in half by using a piece of thread, and add to the bowl.
- Add some more sliced teriyaki pork, arranging everything to look appetizing.
- Finally, peel and mince the garlic and add to the center of the bowl. (optional)
- Drizzle a little La-Yu, spicy Japanese chili oil, over the top. (optional)It's ready! We hope you enjoy your "TOKYO FLAVORS, NEW YORK STYLE" meal! Itadakimasu!
Notes
This recipe uses 2 eggs, as it doesn’t make much sense to prepare just one ajitama (seasoned ramen egg). For one serving of ramen, 1 egg is enough. Feel free to save the other egg for another bowl of ramen, enjoy it on its own, or serve it with rice.
Authentic ramen commonly comes with chashu, Japanese-style braised pork, which can take 1 to 3 hours to prepare from scratch. Our quick teriyaki pork is an easy and tasty alternative to chashu—and it looks great on ramen too. If you prefer chicken to pork, teriyaki chicken is another good option.
Feel free to customize the vegetables and toppings, such as using boiled cabbage instead of spinach. Moyashi (bean sprouts) are also a common ramen topping.
Chopped scallions, wakame seaweed, and nori (dried seaweed sheets) are also excellent toppings. Takana (pickled mustard greens) can add yet another layer of flavor.
If you add corn, try adding a small amount of butter too—corn and butter are a delicious combination, especially with miso ramen.
I highly recommend including the garlic, to add extra depth and richness – you can grate it instead of mincing it, if preferred.
