How to Make Perfect Shio Ramen 塩ラーメン

By Just One Cookbook · 180 min

Ingredients

Instructions

1. Combine 12½ cups water, ⅔ oz kombu, ⅔ oz dried shiitake and ⅔ oz iriko/niboshi in a large pot. Count the kombu pieces. Steep overnight (preferably) or at least 4 hours, and no longer than 12 hours. In hot weather, keep it refrigerated.
2. Reserve ½ cup (120 ml) of the dashi for the shio tare and set it aside.
3. Thinly slice 1 knob ginger into about 3 slices. Separate 1 Tokyo negi into four parts: the white stalk, the Y-shaped piece, the light green leaves and the dark green tops. Keep the white stalk's outer layers for the shiraga negi and the light green core for the aroma oil.
4. To the 12 cups of cold brew dashi, add 1½ lbs ground chicken, the ginger slices, half of the dark green negi tops and the Y-shaped negi piece. Set over medium heat and break up the chicken with a wooden spatula so no big chunks remain.
5. Slowly bring the stock to a gentle boil. Just before it boils, remove and discard all the kombu pieces you counted.
6. Lower the heat and simmer gently, not boiling, for 30 minutes. No skimming is needed.
7. Add ⅔ oz thick katsuobushi shavings and simmer gently for another 10–15 minutes. If using thin shavings, add them and cook for 30 seconds, turn off the heat and let them steep for 10 minutes.
8. Strain the stock through a fine-mesh strainer into a large pot. For 4 servings the soup measured 8½ cups. Keep the pot uncovered while you prep the other ingredients so the soup concentrates.
9. Remove the skin from 1 boneless, skin-on chicken breast and cut the skin into 1-inch pieces. In a small pot, combine 2 cups water, 2 Tbsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt (half that for table salt, or the same weight) and freshly ground black pepper. Bring to a boil.
10. Add the chicken breast, keep it fully submerged, and lower the heat to medium. Cover with an otoshibuta and simmer gently, not boiling, for 25–30 minutes, until the thickest part reads 165°F (74°C) on an instant-read thermometer.
11. Transfer the chicken and some cooking liquid to a plate, cover with plastic and let cool on the counter.

Summarized from Just One Cookbook's video. Watch it for the details.

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