Vegetarian Miso Ramen

Bahan-bahan

Miso Tare :

140 g raw onion pureed in a food processor, or grated finely (around one half of an onion)

7 g garlic, grated (around 2 cloves)

6 g ginger, grated (around a 1-inch piece)

300 g white miso (I use Yamabuki Shinshu)

180 g tezukuri or mugi miso (I use Yamabuki Tezukuri)

80 g hatcho style miso

20 g mirin

30 g soy sauce

5 g sesame oil

14 g tahini or nerigoma

1 g black pepper (or around 20 grinds from a pepper mill)

2 g tobanjan (or Chinese doubanjiang)

pinch of white pepper

pinch of togarashi or cayenne

Vegetable Chintan:

3 L water

One onion, split and peeled

One carrot, peeled, cut into large chunks

10 cloves Garlic

1 2-inch piece of ginger

10 g dried shiitake

One bunch of green onions

20 g Kombu

Aroma Oil:

125 mL (approx. 0.5 cup) neutral oil, like vegetable oil

One bunch of scallion whites, trimmed of their ends.

Chashu:

Pork belly (weight is not important here)

125 mL (approx. 0.5 cup) mirin

125 mL (approx. 0.5 cup) soy sauce

250 mL (approx.1 cup) water

12.5 g (1 tbsp) brown sugar

60 mL (approx. 0.25 cup) sake

Ice water for shocking

Petunjuk

Miso Tare Steps:

Take 70 g of the raw onion puree, and add to a small pan.

Cook over low heat, stirring frequently, until golden brown, around 20-30 minutes.

Remove from heat, place the cooked onion in a mixing bowl.

When the onion has cooled, add all remaining other ingredients. Use a whisk to combine.

Place in the fridge in a covered container and allow the tare to mature for at least 24 hours to better develop the flavor and remove some of the harshness from the raw vegetables. The tare will keep for up to 12 months.

Add 60-70 g of tare per 300 mL soup.

Vegetable Chintan Steps:

Add the water, onion, carrot, garlic, ginger, and shiitake to a pot

Bring up to a boil over high heat, then reduce to a simmer.

Cook at a simmer (around 95 °C/203 °F) for one hour

Add the green onion and kombu, turn off the heat, and let steep for 15 minutes.

Strain the soup and reserve until needed

Aroma Oil Steps:

In a small saucepan, add the oil and scallions.

Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally until the scallions take on a light golden hue and smell fragrant around 10-15 minutes.

Remove from the heat, reserve in the pot and allow it to cool.

Strain and transfer oil to a melt-resistant container. If not used immediately, store in the fridge for up to 6 months.

Chashu Steps:

Preheat a water bath to 79 °C/175 °F using a sous vide water circulator.

Sear the pork belly on all sides on high heat in a pan until golden brown, then place in a sturdy bag (ideally one used for a vacuum sealer).

Deglaze the pan with the remaining ingredients, then reserve this liquid and allow it to cool.

When the liquid has cooled, add it to the bag with the pork.

Seal the bag, removing as much air as possible.

Cook the pork belly sous vide for 7-12 hours.

Remove the meat from the bath, and add to the ice water to chill quickly. Reserve in the fridge until needed, then slice as desired.