Ming's Pork Ramen

A delicious, rich and unctuous broth with tasty garnishes. Requires a bit of commitment but the outcome is worth the effort. This recipe has some issues that I hope to correct over time (adapted and corrected from the original at http://onpoint.wbur.org/2015/02/05/soup-recipes-americas-test-kitchen): 1) It's not clear how much pork neck to use. I'd like to figure out how much by weight. My neck bones came cut into pretty small pieces. 2) The miso base makes enough for many, many recipes. I need to scale this part down to a more appropriate amount. 3) While I ran an errand, I cooked the pork belly for five hours at only 275. It was a bit overdone at that point but still usable, without additional cooking, as a lovely salty, crunchy crouton.

• Ready In: 9 hrs
• Serves: 4

Ingredients

• Ramen Broth

• 2  onions, rough chop, roasted
• 2  celery ribs, rough chop, roasted
• 2  carrots, rough chop, roasted
• 2  pork neck bones, roasted
• 1  pork hock, smoked
• 1  cup  dried shiitake mushroom
• 1  kombu, small sheet
• 1 1⁄2 gallons cold water

• Miso base

• 1⁄2 lb red miso
• 1⁄2 lb onion, caramelized slowly over low heat
• 1⁄4 lb butter, softened
• 1⁄2 cup mirin
• 3  tablespoons tamari

• Pickled daikon

• 2  cups rice vinegar
• 1⁄2 cup sugar
• 1  tablespoon kosher salt
• 1  teaspoon turmeric
• 1  cup daikon radish, peeled and julienned

• Pork belly

• 1  cup brown sugar
• 1  cup salt
• 2  tablespoons togarashi pepper
• 20  ounces  pork belly

• Final preparation of bowls

• 4 (5 ounce) packages  ramen noodles, cooked and strained per directions
• 5  cups broth
• 4  tablespoons miso, base
• 4  poached eggs
• 1  bunch  fresh watercress, for garnish
•  togorashi pepper, to taste
•  salt, to taste
•  bonito flakes, for garnish

Directions

1. For Ramen Broth:
2. Add all ingredients in a large pot and cover.
3. Bring to a simmer and let simmer for 5 hours (alternatively, simmer the neck bones and water for longer - add kombu and pork hock and simmer for five hours, adding vegetables for last two). Strain stock and cool overnight. Skim fat off the top before proceeding (this is the easiest approach but you can also skim the fat using a spoon while the stock is hot but it's harder and less effective).
4. Miso base:
5. Combine all ingredients in a blender. Pulse until mixture is fully mixed. As mentioned above, makes considerably more than is required for four servings.
6. Pickled daikon:
7. In a large non-reactive pot, bring the vinegar, sugar, salt and turmeric to a boil.
8. Pour over daikon and cool.
9. Pork belly:
10. Preheat oven to 300°F.
11. In a medium mixing bowl, combine sugar, salt and togarashi.
12. Generously coat pork belly with mixture. Place on a roasting rack inside a pan.
13. Transfer pan to oven and cook until done (originally suggested five hours but I found that five hours at 275 was too much).
14. Remove from oven and cool on rack.
15. Final preparation of bowls:
16. Mix equal quantities of togarashi and salt to make a togarashi salt. This will be used below.
17. In a large wok or sauce pan, bring broth to a simmer over medium heat. Add miso base and whisk to blend. Slice pork belly into 1/2 “by 3″ pieces.
18. In a sauté pan over medium high heat, sear the pork belly on both sides until crisp, about 1-2 minutes. Flip and repeat on the second side. Transfer to platter.
19. Divide hot broth into four bowls. Add noodles. Place strips of pork belly on top.
20. Garnish each bowl with fresh watercress, poached egg, togarashi salt, pickled daikon, and toasted bonito flakes. Serve.