Dashi Broth for Ramen

How to make dashi broth for ramen soup with soy sauce eggs, noodles and vegetables.

How to make dashi broth for ramen soup with soy sauce eggs is the last post from the Stocks and Broths series. I wanted to end with something that was completely new for me, something that I have never cooked or eaten before.

I’ve heard of dashi many times before but never got the chance to eat it anywhere or cook it myself. Japanese restaurants are not something you would find in rural Germany, the only good sushi I get to eat is when traveling to a larger city, like Munich or Cologne.

And to be able to buy Japanese ingredients to make the dashi myself, well, for that I would have to drive about 60 km to Kassel or order the stuff online.

How to make?

• Dashi is the Japanese stock resulting when cooking kombu, which is edible kelp or seaweeds and katsuobushi or bonito flakes, which are preserved, fermented tuna flakes.
• Dashi is the basic stock used in Japanese cooking, the base for a large variety of Japanese soups, including miso soup or udon noodle soup.
• I used the first batch I’ve made to make an absolutely delicious ramen soup with soy sauce eggs and other toppings, like scallions, corn kernels, fried mushrooms, wakame (also seaweed and something I bought for this occasion – what to do with the rest, I wonder?).
• I am talking about the first batch because I used the instructions I found on Just One Cookbook (where else to look when it comes to Japanese cooking?) and used the already cooked kombu and bonito flakes to make “second dashi”, which has a little less power than the “first dashi” but it’s still flavorsome enough to get you a really nice miso soup when needed.
• And since the few grams of kombu and bonito flakes were so expensive I went even further following the instructions on Just One Cookbook and made furikake out of the twice-cooked ingredients, which is some kind of rice seasoning.

So what can I say, my first try in Japanese cooking was a success and I can proudly present to you not only this homemade dashi but also a delicious ramen soup recipe topped with some of the most delicious eggs I have eaten in my life.

What to put in the ramen soup?

• Heat the dashi gently and stir in the mirin, sake, and soy sauce and salt to taste.
• Add sliced and golden-fried mushrooms.
• Cooked ramen noodles.
• Soaked wakame.
• Chopped vegetables like green onions/scallions, corn.
• Boiled eggs with a slightly runny yolk. Soy sauce eggs would be best, but regular boiled eggs are fine as well.

Soy sauce eggs:

• Boil the eggs.
• Place in a bowl of ice water and leave until cool enough to handle.
• In the meantime mix soy sauce with warm water, sugar, and vinegar.
• Peel the eggs and place them in the marinade.
• Marinade for at least 2 hours and up to 6.
• Halve and serve with the ramen soup.

Stocks and Broths Series

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Beef Broth and Dill Pancakes

Chicken Stock and Semolina Dumplings

How to Make Bone Broth

Homemade Fish Stock with Salmon Balls

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Dashi Broth for Ramen

Yield: 1 liter/ 1 quart

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Ingredients

• Dashi:
• 20 g/ 0.7 oz kombu
• 1 liter /4 cups water
• 30 g/ 1 oz katsuobushi/ dried bonito flakes
• Soy sauce eggs:
• 6 eggs (medium Germany, large USA)
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 2 tablespoons sherry vinegar
• 175 ml/ 6 fl.oz/ ¾ cups soy sauce
• Ramen:
• 250 g/ 8.8 oz small mushrooms
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 150 g/ 5.3 oz ramen noodles
• very small handful dried wakame
• corn kernels, canned or frozen
• 3 green onions
• 2 tablespoons mirin
• 2 tablespoons sake
• 3 tablespoons soy sauce or more to taste
• fine sea salt

Instructions

Dashi:

1. Clean the kombu using a damp cloth to wipe the seaweeds without removing the white powdery coating. Place in a pot and cover with the water. Leave to soak for at least 30 minutes and up to half a day.
2. Turn on the heat and almost bring it to a boil. Take it off the heat just before it actually starts to boil and remove the kombu. Save it for the second dashi.
3. Let the liquid stand for about 5 minutes then add the dried bonito flakes. Bring to a boil again, skimming occasionally and simmer for just 30 seconds when it comes to a boil. Turn off the heat and leave it for about 10 minutes until the bonito flakes sink to the bottom.
4. Line a sieve with a paper towel and strain the liquid. Squeeze the paper towel to release all the liquid. Keep the bonito flakes for the second dashi.
5. The dashi will keep for 3 to 7 days in the fridge and for about 3 weeks when frozen.

Second dashi, optional for later use:

1. To make the second dashi (optional) place the cooked kombu and bonito flakes in a pot, cover with 1 liter/ 4 cups water, bring to a boil, and cook gently for 10 minutes. Leave it until the bonito flakes sink to the bottom of the pot and strain as shown before.

Soy sauce eggs:

1. Whisk together the warm water, sugar, vinegar, and soy sauce in a bowl large enough to hold the 6 eggs.
2. Bring a pot of water to a boil and cook the eggs for 6 minutes and 50 seconds. In the meantime fill a bowl with ice cubes and cold water and place the eggs inside as soon as they are cooked. Leave for a few minutes, then peel.
3. Place the eggs in the marinade and marinate for 2 to 6 hours. Remove and place in an airtight container, they will keep in the fridge for up to 1 month. You can reuse the marinade to make a second batch of eggs (they were so good, I made a second batch immediately).

Ramen soup:

1. Heat the dashi gently and stir in the mirin, sake, and soy sauce and salt to taste.
2. Clean and slice the mushrooms and cook them in 1 tablespoon oil until golden brown.
3. Cook the noodles according to the package's instructions. Soak the wakame in hot water according to the package's instructions. Chop the scallions and drain or defrost the corn kernels.
4. Place some of these ingredients in each bowl, pour the soup over and top with the halved eggs. Serve immediately.

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 4 Serving Size: 1/4 of the ramen soup
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 306Total Fat: 13gSaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 8gCholesterol: 290mgSodium: 4386mgCarbohydrates: 24gFiber: 3gSugar: 10gProtein: 22g

Nutrition information isn’t always accurate.