Simple Ramen Recipe: ​Chef Hiroaki Mitsui's Easy Ramen Recipe Uses Pantry Ingredients by Chef Hiroaki Mitsui

Homemade ramen at home? Yes! First, we need to make stock using ingredients that you might have at home. Just use as many of the ingredients that you can get your hands on. Ramen is a combination of stock plus base (tare) plus oil/fat. At Ramen by Uzu, we have chicken stock or vegan stock. For this at-home ramen recipe, we will make a veggie stock.

Cuisine: Japanese
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour and 40 minutes
Total Time: 2 hours
Servings: 2 to 4

Ingredients

Stock 

• 1 medium carrot, peeled and chopped
• 1 bunch scallions, stems removed and chopped
• 1 medium onion, peeled and chopped
• 1 clove garlic, smashed with skin
• 1 piece ginger, peeled and chopped
• 1 small apple, cut into quarters
• 1 sheet kombu (kelp) (If available. This is for umami. If not available, don’t worry.)
• 1 medium potato, peeled and chopped

Base

• 1 can (10.5 ounces) cream of mushroom soup
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon sesame oil

Garnish

• scallions, sliced thin
• egg (hard-boiled or soft-boiled, your choice)
• your choice of protein (pork, chicken, fried tofu, sautéed SPAM)
• nori
• canned corn
• ramen noodles, for serving

Here's how to make it:

1. For the stock, combine all ingredients in a large pot. Fill the pot with water until all the ingredients are covered. Be sure to leave 2 inches at the top so the water won’t spill. Boil on high heat. After the water comes to a boil, lower the temperature and simmer for 1 1/2 hours. Gently smash the vegetables to get the most umami into your broth. For a more “authentic” flavor, throw in one handful of bonito. Leave it for 10 minutes. (This step is optional.) Strain the vegetables from the broth. Compost the veggies or save them for some other recipe.
2. For the base, mix half a can of cream of mushroom with the same amount of stock. (Ratio 1:1. You can adjust however you like. If you want a creamier soup, use more cream of mushroom.)
3. To serve, combine the stock and base in a small pot. Heat it up. Cook your noodles. It’s great if you can get your hands on fresh ramen noodles. However, if that’s not possible, just use instant ramen noodles (just the noodles). Cook the noodles according to the package. If you like your noodles al dente, cook them 30 seconds to 1 minute less than what the instructions call for. Strain the water. Add the noodles to the soup. Garnish with your preferred toppings.

Chef Tip: Chef Hiro's top tips for spicing up instant ramen are adding sweet traditional Japanese fixin's, like corn kernels and menma; topping the dish off with a dash of Shichimi Togarashi, a blend of Japanese chiles and spices, for a little kick; and trying your hand at a soft-boiled egg to add protein.

Take 30 seconds and join the 30Seconds community and follow us on Facebook to get recipes in your newsfeed daily. Inspire and be inspired.