It's RamenMania in Seattle these days and Nancy Leson's favorite slurp is Samurai Noodle. "It's long been my favorite place to get a big, rich bowl of Ramen noodles." Recently Nance got to hang out with owner Ryo Izawa and got a look at how they make their tonkotsu broth. Short version: Pork bones, water and 20 hours of slow simmering.
Nance explained that flavorful Tonkotsu broth is not de-fatted or strained for clarity. "That's where the mouth feel and flavor comes from." Now me...
...I like a nice clear soup stock. I used to do this by straining the finished product through cheesecloth. Then I took a hint from Andrea Nguyen and started using muslin, But this last time, the stock I made was so rich with gelatin from all the pork and chicken bones I used that it stood on its own. After refrigerating overnight I lifted the hardened fat from the top and then up-ended it so it stood jiggling like a Jello Devil's Tower. As you can see in the photo above I could then just slice off the sediment.
Here's some video Nance took of her Ramen adventure. First..
The Big Slurp
-g7pEE
Comparing Noodles
Another Triumph.
Last week Nancy challenged me to make my own soft pretzel sandwich.
I think next time I'll roll out the dough "ropes" to double the length so the things don't close up like that. But it tasted just like a regular soft pretzel. Later I made a goat brie and salami sandwich with one. Heaven.
"She ate ramen noodles from the vending machine, their texture just a few molecular recombinations from the Styrofoam cup containing them." – Amy Waldman, The Submission
