Call it a hangover from the iso-days, but as the weather gets more wintry, the temptation to snuggle up at home with a hot bowl of ramen and whatever's on the television grows ever stronger. There's something satisfying about creating an intricate, hearty meal and enjoying it to the last slurp – and boy, have we got the perfect recipe for you to hunker down with.
Julian Cincotta, of famed Sydney fried chicken, champagne and sneaker joint, Butter, has blessed us with the recipe for the perfect ramen: it's hearty, wholesome, and will warm you up from the inside out. But beware: it's not your lazy weeknight dish. The time and effort to create a ramen like Butter's is no mean feat – but Cincotta has broken it down for you, step by step. You should be able to find all the ingredients at your local supermarket or Asian grocer. The final touch? Order in Butter's famous fried chicken to sit atop your bowl of ramen for a mind-blowing winter combo.
Julian Cincotta's Fried Chicken Ramen
5L of water
15g hondashi
1 chicken Maryland with bone
500g chicken wings
200g chicken feet
100g chicken skin
100g dried shiitake
40g kombu tsuyu
20g mustard powder
1 brown onion
1 leek
30g ginger
1 bulb garlic
1 lb shallots
Tare
500g chicken wings
200g sake
160g mirin
320g light soy
Chicken fat
100g chicken skin
100g vegetable oil
5 garlic cloves
Ajitsuke tamago, or marinated soft boiled eggs
6 eggs
1 cup of water
1 cup sake
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup mirin
1/2 cup sugar
Condiments
Serve with any or all of: toasted sesame seeds, chilli oil, salted bamboo shoots, enoki mushrooms, toasted nori, ground white pepper, narutomaki (fish cake), green shallots, and katsobushi salt.
Method
Note: This can be made in advance, lasting up to 3 days, depending on the freshness of the eggs. It is best made at least one day before, so it can marinate longer and infuse the flavours.
Eggs
1. Combine water, saki, sugar, soy and mirin in a bowl and whisk until the sugar is dissolved and set aside.
2. Bring a medium pot of water to boil over high heat
3. Carefully lower eggs into the boiling water, using a spoon or tongs
4. Cook for exactly 6 minutes
5. Once ready, drain the hot water and run cold water over the eggs
6. Still in the pot with the cold water running, start cracking the eggs so the water leaches under the shell to help in the peeling process
7. Once eggs are cool, peel eggs and put into a container
8. Cover with the marinade
Tare
1. To prep the chicken wings, use a cleaver and chops wings into five pieces. You want to have cut through the flesh and bone exposing it. Roast the chicken wings in a roasting pan on 140 degrees for 15 minutes, this will allow any fats to leech out of the cuts you have made
2. Turn heat to 180 degrees and roast for 25 minutes more or until golden. Do not worry about over cooking, this is for an infusion – the meat will be discarded
3. Once the wings are roasted, deglaze the tray with the sake. Using a wooden flat spoon scrape off crusty bits stuck to the pan (this is all flavour), add mirin and soy, and return to the oven
4. Turn the oven off and let sit for two hours. As this is an infusion you do not want the liquids to reduce, only to take on the flavour of the chicken creating the umami bomb.
5. Strain the tare, or broth, through a fine sieve and reserve the chicken fat
6. Crush the garlic, chop the chicken skin
7. In a small pan, add the oil chicken skin and crushed garlic
8. Warm to approx. 70 degrees and hold this temperature for approximately 1 hour until the fat releases from the skin and flavour infusing into the oil
9. Strain the chicken fat and reserve in airtight container in the fridge
10. Bring the water to a simmer, add hondashi and let steep for 15 minutes
11. Chop chicken Maryland, exposing flesh and bones
12. Sear chicken in a pan till golden on both sides
13. Add the chicken, the chicken feet and skin to the stock
14. Cut onions and leeks lengthways
15. Cut bulb of garlic exposing the cloves in rounds
16. Chop ginger into three pieces
17. Using the same pan as the chicken, then add the onions and leek and cook until blackened blacked (this adds depth and richness to the stock)
18. Add the blackened leek and onion to the stock
19. Cut the green shallots in threes, add to the same pan and repeat the process as with the onions and leeks
20. Once the green shallots have blackened, add to the stock with the fresh ginger and garlic
21. Bring stock up to a boil, skimming and impurities off that surface
22. In a food processor, blend the dried shiitakes and add to the stock along with the kombu tusyu and mustard powder
23. Keep stock on a high simmer, stirring often for approximately two to three hours
24. The contents of the broth (i.e. the chicken, veggies etc.), should breakdown into a pulp-like consistency
25. Taste the ramen base broth, if it has a chicken or fish (from the base dashi) aromatic tone, then the stock is ready. If not, reduce a little bit further
26. Once stock is ready, strain the stock through a large hole colander, pushing out all of the liquid
27. Discard all remaining meat or veggie pulp
28. Strain once more through a fine mesh sieve and reserve your ramen base
Noodles
1. Prepare fresh or dried ramen noodles from the supermarket according to the packet instructions.
Assemblage
1. Around 30 to 40 minutes prior to serving, order Butter's famous fried chicken
2. Place noodles on top and pour over hot broth
3. Using chopsticks, untangle noodles so they lay nicely – no one likes clumpy noodles!
4. Add your condiments on top, to your hearts desire
5. Slice marinated egg lengthways and place on top
6. Finish with Butter's fried chicken
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