Easy Restaurant *Homemade* Ramen

On days like today - ok, any day that isn't hot - I want ramen. I've tried (so far unsuccessfully) to make my own noodles, but thanks to Nona Lim (made in Oakland!), I can now create a bowl of excellent ramen at home with very little effort, AND FOR ABOUT $4. 

How is this magic possible?? This may seem like a lot of steps, but it's pretty basic. Make the eggs the night before, and when you get home, all you need to do is heat the broth, cook the noodles, assemble and garnish. You can eat in 20 minutes. 

You must, at all times, have the following ingredients in your home:

A box (or two) of Nona Lim Tokyo Ramen
A box (or four) of Trader Joe's Miso Ginger Broth
Eggs
Fresh Corn (but if you must, Del Monte canned No-Salt Added Corn will do)
Mirin
Soy Sauce or Tamari
Green Onion
Ginger

Whole Foods and Rainbow Coop Carry These

Trader Joe's Miso Ginger Vegan Broth

Eggs Marinated in Mirin and Soy Sauce 

These are the fundamentals for how I like basic ramen, but feel free to branch out and add whatever you like. 

First, let's marinate some eggs. 

This blog has simple instructions. I like an 8 minute simmer for a yolk that's creamy. Don't leave eggs in the ice bath more than 5 minutes or the whites can get tough. Peel the eggs carefully, because the eggs are soft boiled, and can tear easily. I recommend 24 hours in the marinade, and up to 2 days is ok. 

Assembling Your Ramen

The ramen comes in tidy individual serving packets (2 to a box). 
Here are instructions for two:
Boil a large pot of water. 
In a smaller pot, heat up the broth (one full box for 2 people). Add kernels from one ear of corn. Bring to a boil, and reduce to a simmer. 
Take two eggs out of the fridge. Thinly sliced some green onion and set aside. Peel a piece of ginger (you'll grate it right over the bowl before serving). 
Once the large pot comes to a raging boil, scoop out some of the water and add it to your serving bowls to warm them up. 
Add the ramen to the pot. I prefer to cook them one at a time so they don't clump. They cook in about 3-4 minutes, so this is doable. Use tongs and a sieve to scoop out the cooked ramen. Pour out the water from your serving bowl, and add the noodles to the warm bowl. 
Gently pour half the broth over the ramen. Add half the corn to the bowl. Slice an egg in half and gently place it on the mound of noodles (you don't want it to drown). Repeat with the other bowl. Sprinkle both bowls with green onions, and grate lots of fresh ginger with a microplane. 

Serve immediately with chop sticks and spoon.

           いただきます