Homemade chicken ramen with a soy tare, seared chicken thigh, shiitake, and a jammy egg. Pak choi microgreens on top stay crisp down to the last spoonful.
INGREDIENTS
- 1 l - unsalted chicken broth (about 4 cups)
- 2 cloves - garlic
- 10 g - fresh ginger
- 100 g - shiitake mushrooms
- 300 g - boneless chicken thighs
- 2 - eggs
- 3 tbsp - soy sauce
- 1 tsp - toasted sesame oil
- 1 tsp - sugar
- 200 g - dried ramen noodles
- 20 g - scallions
- 20 g - pak choi microgreens
STEPS
- Pour the broth into a pot, add the smashed garlic and sliced ginger, bring to a boil, and simmer over low heat for 20 minutes. Slice the shiitake and add them for the last 5 minutes.
- While the broth simmers, sear the chicken thighs smooth side down in a skillet over medium heat for 6-7 minutes, flip, and cook 5-6 minutes more, to 165°F (74°C) inside. Rest for 5 minutes and slice.
- Lower the eggs into boiling water for 6 1/2 minutes, then move them to ice water for 2 minutes and peel.
- Mix the soy sauce, sesame oil, and sugar, and divide this tare between the bottoms of two bowls.
- Cook the noodles in a separate pot according to the package, drain, and divide between the bowls.
- Pull the garlic and ginger out of the broth, ladle the hot broth and mushrooms into the bowls, and stir into the tare. Top with the chicken, halved eggs, and sliced scallions.
- Pile 10 g pak choi microgreens on each bowl and serve right away.
Pak Choi Microgreens in Ramen
Ramen shops often put half a baby bok choy in the bowl. At home, pak choi microgreens do the same job: the same mild, slightly sweet flavor in miniature. Their thick, juicy stems crunch and don’t go limp right away in hot broth, so the greens go on top at the last moment and get eaten with the noodles.
Pak choi tastes neutral. It doesn’t fight the soy broth; it adds freshness and crunch to the bowl.
About the Ingredients
Pak choi microgreens: 20 g for two bowls. Cabbage, broccoli, or pea microgreens work as a swap.
Noodles: wheat ramen noodles, fresh or dried. Egg noodles work too, but they’re softer.
Chicken: boneless thighs. They stay juicy even after searing to a crust, while breast dries out.
Broth: chicken, homemade or low-sodium store-bought. The saltiness comes from the soy seasoning at the bottom of the bowl.
Shiitake: fresh or dried. Soak dried ones in warm water for 30 minutes and add the soaking water to the broth.
Technique: Seasoning in the Bowl
Ramen shops don’t salt the broth in the pot. Soy sauce with sesame oil goes into the bottom of each bowl, and the hot broth is poured over it. That keeps the broth clean-tasting and lets you adjust the salt bowl by bowl. Cook the noodles in a separate pot: in the broth they release starch and cloud it.
Variations
- Marinated eggs: peeled eggs overnight in equal parts soy sauce and water with a spoonful of sugar.
- Miso ramen: 2 tbsp miso paste in place of half the soy sauce.
- Spicy: 1 tsp chili oil in each bowl.
- With pork: slices of roasted pork belly instead of chicken.
Serving and Storage
Assemble ramen and eat it right away, while the noodles are springy. The broth and chicken can be made ahead and kept in the fridge for up to 3 days, separately from the noodles. How long an open container of microgreens lasts is in our wiki: microgreen shelf life.
Another Asian dish with microgreens: stir-fried pea shoots with garlic.
CHEF'S TIPS
Taste the broth in the bowl before adding the chicken. If it needs more salt, stir a teaspoon of soy sauce right into the bowl.
Use eggs straight from the fridge and boil them exactly 6 1/2 minutes. The ice bath right after keeps the yolks runny.
