This fun easy riff-on ramen is a tangy, salty, savory broth lightly seasoned with ginger, garlic, and soy sauce. Wow your guests at your next dinner party by transforming the broth into an edible wrapper that dissolves when hot water or stock is poured over the top.
Modify to your taste preference and hunger level by garnishing with delicious toppings.
Prep: 20 minutes
Cook: 12 minutes
Servings: 6 servings
Heat sesame oil in a deep pan over medium heat. Sauté the chopped ginger and garlic in the pan for about a minute, or until it starts to become fragrant, but not browned.
Lower the heat and add the kombu dashi soup stock plus four cups of water to the pan. Bring to a boil and stir in the vegetable stock concentrate.
Add the soy sauce, sake, and sugar to the soup broth and bring to a boil again.
In the meantime, boil water in a large pot. Add the Chinese noodles to the boiling water and cook for a few minutes (follow package directions). Drain and reserve for assembly.
Place a fine-mesh strainer over a bowl and pour the soup broth through the strainer.
Pour the broth into 6 small bowls and divide drained noodles into bowls and top with desired toppings.
Wrapped Ramen Modification:
For an artful serving of ramen modify as follows. When adding the dashi soup and vegetable concentrate, do not add water. Continue with the directions until the broth is strained into another bowl. Place that bowl into the refrigerator and let it cool.
When the broth is cold add to a small saucepan. Sprinkle 11 grams of powdered gelatin over and turn heat to low. Slowly whisk in 3.3 grams of food-grade glycerin and continue to whisk until gelatin is dissolved. The liquid will become clear and you can see the bottom of the pot clearly. Do not allow the mixture to boil.
Remove the pot from the heat.
Arrange 6 – 10 flat non-stick plates, lids, or flat molds (at least 9-inches in circumference) on a work surface. Spoon the mixture into each mold until there is a thin layer coating the molds. Tilt and swirl to evenly coat. *Sprinkle each with a pinch of furikake seasoning for garnish.
The molds need to stand and dry in a cool dry area until the edges of the film start to lift. This can take anything from 10 hours to 24 hours depending on the heat and humidity. *Do not wrap in plastic film or you will not dry.
Use a thin skewer under the edge of the thin film and run around the edge to lift it from the mold.
Lay the thin wrapper on a clean dry work surface and place the Chinese noodles in the center and fold, wrapping like a small package.
When ready to serve, place edible wrapped ramen into a bowl and pour ¾ cup boiling water over and garnish as desire.