Shiitake ramen
Homemade ramen with a deeply savoury broth of dried shiitake and kombu, finished with miso, crisp fresh shiitake and soy-marinated eggs.
- Prep
- 40 min
- Cook
- 40 min
- Serves
- 2
- Difficulty
- Medium
Good ramen lives or dies by its broth, and dried shiitake are brilliant at it. Soaked and gently simmered, they give the water an intense umami depth that rivals a bone broth cooked for hours. Paired with kombu seaweed, they make a light but rich dashi that's entirely plant-based.
This recipe uses the same mushroom in two ways: dried for the broth and fresh, fried until golden, for the topping. Marinate the eggs the day before if you can; it spreads the work out and gives them the best flavour.
Ingredients
Tick them off as you go.
For the broth (dashi)
For the marinated eggs (ajitama)
For the bowls
Method
Tap a step when it's done; in cook mode the next one is highlighted.
-
Put the dried shiitake and kombu in a saucepan with 1 litre of cold water and leave to soak for at least 30 minutes. If you have time, a night in the fridge, covered, gives a noticeably deeper flavour.
~30 min -
While the broth soaks, make the eggs. Lower them gently into boiling water, cook for exactly 6½ minutes, then plunge them into iced water. Once cool, peel them. Mix the soy sauce, mirin and water in a small bag or container, add the eggs and marinate for at least 30 minutes, ideally 4 hours to overnight in the fridge.
~10 min -
Add the ginger and garlic to the soaked broth and heat gently over a low-medium heat. When small bubbles appear around the edge, lift out the kombu before it boils, as boiling makes it bitter and slimy. Turn the heat down and let the shiitake steep at a bare simmer for 15 minutes. Strain, then remove the stalks from the soaked shiitake and slice the caps thinly.
~20 min -
Heat the sesame oil in a frying pan over a medium-high heat. Lay the fresh shiitake slices in a single layer and fry for 4–5 minutes until golden on both sides, then add 1 tsp soy sauce at the end to glaze them.
~6 min -
Return the strained broth to the pan with the 3 tbsp soy sauce, the mirin and the sliced soaked shiitake and bring just to the boil. Take it off the heat, whisk the miso into a ladleful of the hot broth in a separate bowl until smooth, then stir it back into the pan. Don't boil the broth again once the miso is in, or it will lose its aroma.
~5 min -
Bring a large pan of water to the boil and cook the noodles according to the packet, usually 4–5 minutes for dried or 1–2 minutes for fresh. Drain and shake off as much water as you can; don't add the noodle water to the broth, as it makes it cloudy.
~6 min -
Warm the bowls with hot water and tip it out. Divide the noodles between them and ladle over the hot broth. Top with the fried shiitake, the halved eggs, spring onions and nori, sprinkle with sesame seeds and serve straight away.
~3 min
Enjoy!
The mushroom in this recipe
Mushroom swaps
Oyster mushroom Pleurotus ostreatusUse in place of the fresh shiitake topping; tear and fry it. Keep the dried shiitake for the broth.
Enoki Flammulina velutipesTrim the base and drop it into the hot broth just before serving; a minute is enough.
Lion's mane Hericium erinaceusSlice thickly and fry until golden on both sides.
Tips
- Don't boil the kombu; take it out as soon as bubbles appear around the edge of the pan or the broth will turn bitter.
- Put the eggs into the boiling water straight from the fridge and time them precisely: 6½ minutes gives a jammy yolk that still holds its shape.
- For a plant-based bowl, leave out the egg and add some fried tofu; the broth is already vegan.
- If you like heat, finish each bowl with a drizzle of chilli oil.
Storage
If you set the broth aside before adding the miso, it keeps in the fridge for 3 days or in the freezer for up to 2 months. The marinated eggs keep in the fridge for up to 3 days. Cooked noodles go soft as they sit, so always cook them fresh.
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Kitchen guides
Before you cook: clean, store, dry
How to clean mushroomsPractical ways to clean everything from button mushrooms to morels without waterlogging them or ruining their texture.
How to store mushroomsHow to keep fresh, cooked, frozen and dried mushrooms at their best — and how to tell when they’ve gone bad.
How to dry mushroomsA step-by-step guide to drying mushrooms at home in the oven, in a dehydrator or on a string — and how to store and rehydrate them.