Ippudo Ramen: Attempt #1
June 22, 2012 § Leave a Comment
Having been fed a hearty diet of nu ro mein (taiwanese beef noodle soup) growing up, my boyfriend LOVES any type of beefy, brothy, noddle-y, soup-y goodness. His NYC fave being the spicy ramen at Ippudo. Every time we eat there he’ll savor his spicy ramen and mumble, “ohh gawd, if only you could make this at home for me every night…I’d buy you a Birkin bag..nom..nom nom”…{What’s that you say?!?!}
So here it is, my first attempt to make ramen. I used this recipe I found for Tonkotsu Ramen on the blog NoRecipes.com (Thanks, Marc!).
I followed the recipe pretty strictly, making the base, mayu, chashu and ramen. The only place I cheated was the noodles.. store bought… >.<
{Ingredient shopping required stops at Chinatown’s Hong Kong Supermarket, Mulberry Meat Market and New Kam Man. The pig trotters were difficult to find, but oh so worth it!}
{The pork belly came out really nice. The miso marinade made it so tender. I made a mistake by cutting it before it had adequately chilled in the refrigerator and the meat separated from the fat on some pieces…oops}
{Me skimming the fat off the top as the pig trotters, pig legs and chicken bones boiled for an hour. }
{This is the mayu (black garlic oil) before I put it in the blender to completely break down the tiny bits of garlic. It has a strong flavor profile that really elevates the ramen with just a little drop.}
{Now for the taste test! It was pretty delicious, but not quite at Ippudo level…but not bad for a first shot. Bowl #2 to be continued…}
