Tsukemen-Style Instant Ramen | olivemagazine

A large bowl of ramen with dipping sauces on the side

2 packs of instant ramen (any flavour works)
2 tbsp sweet soy sauce
2 tbsp mirin
1 tbsp sesame oil

TOPPINGS

2-4 thick slices of roasted ham
1 tbsp sweet soy sauce
shredded spring onions, sesame seeds and chilli oil
to serve

SOY EGGS

2 small eggs
5 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp mirin

Method

step 1
Boil the eggs for 6 mins 30 seconds, then plunge into iced water to cool completely. Peel, then put in a small container with the soy and mirin. Leave to marinate for at least 1 hr or overnight if you can.
step 2
Prepare a large bowl of iced water. Bring a pot of water to the boil and cook the noodles for 2 mins. Drain and transfer to the ice bath to stop the cooking – this keeps the noodles firm, bouncy and extra chewy. Drain well.
step 3
Put 400ml of water and the instant ramen soup packs in a small pan. Bring to a gentle simmer, then stir in the soy, mirin and sesame oil. Taste and adjust if needed – the broth should be saltier and more concentrated than normal ramen because it’s meant for dipping. Brush the ham slices with sweet soy and dry-fry in a non-stick pan until caramelised.
step 4
To serve, pour the hot broth into two bowls and the noodles in two separate bowls. Top the noodles with the ham and a halved egg, spring onions, sesame seeds and a drizzle of chilli oil. To eat, dip the cold noodles into the hot broth, letting them soak up just enough flavour with each bite.

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