Japanese Cooking Class

Over Christmas, Ramesh and I were lucky enough to be able to take a Japanese cooking class at The Institute of Culinary Education in NYC. The best part of the class was being able to take it with Anandmama (uncle Anand) and cousins Shuma and Pooja.


Japanese is one of those cuisines that we just don't cook much of, so this was a great class to take. Upon arriving, we learned that you can take a class on about every cuisine imaginable. You can take a class about beer making, or brownies, or Thai. Or, you can even take class to improve your knife skills. Our class had about 16 people and we were divided into 3 groups. Over the 4-hour time period each group had to make 4-5 dishes (enough for all 16 people) and then the pigging out started! The menu was extensive, but tonight I'm going to share a dish that, for me, was the most surprising - ramen noodles. That's right, ramen! I had never eaten ramen in my life and certainly never thought I would like even like it. But, when you eat ramen noodles in a traditional Japanese broth, you will like them too!

Before starting, it will be a good idea to locate a good Asian market. In addition to finding the necessary ingredients for this recipe, you will be able to find great deals on soy sauce, sesame oil, rice, coconut milk, and spices. We buy rice and the majority of our spices and sauces at either the Indian, Asian, or Arabic markets.

Once you've had fun shopping at the Asian market, you will want to make the broth, or dashi, first.

Basic Dashi Broth
Yields about 1 quart

1/4 ounce kombu, wiped with a damp cloth (kombu is a type of kelp)
1/2 ounce dried bonito flakes (dried fish flakes)
1 quart cold water

Fill a stockpot with the water and add the kombu. Let sit at least 15 minutes to rehydrate slightly.

Heat the pot (uncovered) on medium high heat. Let the water come very close to boiling (should take about 10 minutes). Remove the kombu just before the water boils. Do not let the water boil because the stock will turn bitter otherwise. The kombu should be fairly soft and you should be able to pierce it with your fingernail. If the kombu is too hard, lower the heat, add a little bit more water, and then remove kombu just before water boils.

Now, bring the stock to a boil. Remove it from the heat and add the bonito flakes. Allow the flakes to settle, about 5 minutes, and then strain. You can reserve the kombu and bonito for a second dashi, if desired.

Now, on to the ramen!

Ramen
Serves 2

1 teaspoon sesame oil
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
1 teaspoon fresh ginger, finely chopped
2 cups chicken stock
1 cup dashi
2 packages ramen noodles (3 ounces each)
3 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon sake
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon mirin
1 teaspoon sugar

In a large, deep saucepan, heat sesame oil over low heat. Add garlic and ginger. Cook, stirring, until softened, about 5 minutes. Add soup base and bring to a boil over medium-high heat.

Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat. Add ramen noodles and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes. Drain and set aside.

Stir in soy sauce, sake, sea salt, mirin, and sugar into soup base mixture. Strain into 2 serving bowls. Divide ramen evenly between the bowls. Serve immediately with toppings of your choice. Good toppings include: chopped scalions, cooked spinach, nor (dried seaweed), bamboo shoots, black sesame seeds, or freshly ground black pepper.

ENJOY! Doesn't that look good?