A steaming hot bowl of ramen noodles is never a bad idea. This wood ear ramen recipe might not be traditional, but it's crazy delicious. I came up with it when I was craving the taste of packaged ramen I used to eat in college, just using better ingredients. Here's a few notes on it, and how to make it.
Ingredients
Making ramen is a great excuse to visit your Asian grocer and creative with the noodles you use. If you're gluten free like me there's also grain-free versions. It's also fine to use a package of cheap ramen noodles, but I usually skip the spice packet.
The other ingredients are flexible. You'll want a few mushrooms, some herbs, preferably a blend including wood ears. If you make ramen broth with roasted chicken like I show here, cook a chicken leg in the broth and pick the meat to add at the end. I skip the soy sauce in favor of miso for a richer bouillon flavor.
This is also the perfect place to use dried mushrooms. It's great for wood ears, but many types will work. Try to use a blend of mushrooms if you can.
How to Make Wood Ear Mushroom Ramen
Depending on how much time you have this can be an all-day project, or a quick meal. The best Japanese ramen is made with homemade stock, but It's fine to use boxed chicken stock in a pinch.
First you cut up a chicken and roast the carcass and wings to make broth. I like to add roasted chicken feet for extra collagen. The images below describe more of the process.
Mix the roasted chicken with onion, scallion, garlic cloves, sliced ginger and simmer for 1.5-2 hours.
After the broth is made, all you have to do is whisk in some miso and mushrooms, then cook the noodles in the broth. Ramen broth can be made in advance and frozen.
Just like when you were in college, you cook the noodles directly in the broth. This is the time to finish the ramen with special seasonings or herbs.
Related Posts
Wood Ear Mushroom Ramen
Equipment
- 1 stock pot (for the broth)
- 1 quart soup pot (for finishing and serving)
- 1 fine strainer
- Chopsticks for serving
Ingredients
Homemade Ramen Broth (optional)
- 2 lb chicken scrap such as a carcass, wing tips and 4-5 chicken feet
- 1 small yellow onion unpeeled, halved
- 1 ½ inch thick slice of fresh ginger
- Green tops from a bunch of scallions
- 3 garlic cloves whole and unpeeled
Ramen
- 5 oz Ramen noodles 2 packs
- 4 cups chicken stock, vegetable stock, or homemade ramen broth
- 1 oz scallions sliced
- 2 oz cooked chicken optional
- 2 oz shiitake mushrooms sliced
- 1 oz dried wood ear mushrooms thinly sliced
- 1 tiny pinch ground Szechuan peppercorns (⅛th tsp)
- 4 teaspoons miso paste, preferably light colored plus more to taste
- Kosher salt to taste (omit if using boxed chicken stock)
Optional garnishes
- Baked chicken skin
- Sesame oil
- Hot chili crisp hot sauce or Sriracha
- ½ oz chopped cilantro rau ram or mint leaves (small handful)
- 2 6 minute eggs
- Pinch of black sesame seeds
Instructions
Ramen Broth (optional)
- Preheat and oven to 425 F. Butcher a chicken and save the breasts for another purpose. If you want to make crispy chicken skin, remove the skin from the legs.
- Toss the chicken pieces with a drizzle of cooking oil and roast in the oven for 30 minutes, or until just cooked through and lightly golden.
- Remove the chicken to a cooking pot, add the remaining broth ingredients, bring to a simmer and cook on low heat for 2 hours. If you bought shiitake mushrooms, add their stems to the broth.
- Strain the stock, whisk in 1 teaspoon kosher salt per quart and reserve.
Six minute eggs (optional)
- Bring enough water to a boil to cover a few eggs by an inch. Add the eggs, turn the heat to medium and start a timer for 6 minutes. Remove the eggs, peel under room temperature running water and reserve.
Ramen
- Rehydrate the wood ear mushrooms with 2 cups of hot water. Cool, squeeze dry, and slice into thin strips. If using fresh wood ears just cut them up.
- Bring 4 cups of the broth to a simmer, whisk to dissolve and add the mushrooms.
- Add the noodles and simmer for 3-4 minutes or until just cooked through and al dente.
- Add the cooked chicken, scallions and Szechuan peppercorns / prickly ash if using,
- Double check the seasoning for salt and adjust until it tastes good to you. If you use boxed chicken stock it may not need salt.
- Divide the noodles between two soup bowls. Spoon the broth, mushrooms and chicken over each bowl. Garnish with the egg halves garnished with black sesame, extra chopped herbs, baked chicken skin, sesame oil and chili crisp or Sriracha.
Video
Notes
- I include a recipe for broth here, but there's no shame in using boxed chicken stock, just be mindful of the salt.
- I use dried prickly ash / wild Szechuan peppercorns that are milder than commercial versions. Use only a tiny pinch of Sichuan pepper if you have it, or skip it.
- To make the crispy chicken skin, remove the skin from chicken legs, season on one side with salt, wrap in parchment and bake at 325 F until crisp, about 20 minutes.
Gee
Why go to the trouble to make good broth and then put sh1tty grocery store noodles into it?!? Buy real noodles!
Alan Bergo
This is a post on wood ear mushrooms. Not an authoritative post on making traditional ramen. If all I use is the most expensive things I can find it makes it less approachable for normal people, and, I know plenty of chefs who’ll crush some basic ramen noodles after work. Maybe don’t be so stuck up.