Ramen in France? Here’s how to make it.

Bydanazaruba

I love French food and at the same time, I really miss ramen.

I have learned over the years and in all my amazing wisdom that there can be several truths in existence at the same time and they don’t have to clash.

Given the difficulty of finding certain Asian ingredients in my town here in northwest Normandy, I was surprised that I was able to make it at all. And no, I don’t mean commercial brands of instant soups! I mean, the real thing.

Ramen, at its most basic, is, after all, humble street food, eaten after a long day at the office or after a hard night of partying. It was cheap, simple and perfect and I ate it frequently when I lived in Japan.

Ramen is the ultimate comfort food and in this post I will cover the following topics:

  • The elements of a good ramen
  • How to make ramen
  • Vegetarian and vegan options
  • Resources to help you on your own ramen quest

What are the elements of good ramen?

Ramen requires five essential elements.

  • Soup base
  • Tare (tah-ray) flavour base
  • Infused oil
  • Noodles
  • Toppings

Soup Base

Traditional ramen is made with a pork stock that is cooked often for days at a time, using several different cuts of pork and constant attention.

It is also often made with chicken stock, which is what I usually use given that I always make my own stock from the bones and carcass of a roasted chicken. I also keep the skin and use it for the infused oil.

Tare

You know those plastic packages of some dark liquid inside of instant soup mixes? This is tare, or what is known as the overriding flavour base of the soup. Making your own is simple.

Infused oil

Oil infused with ginger, garlic and a few other ingredients adds an unctuous element to ramen. Without it the overall dish lacks richness.

Noodles

Ramen noodles are wheat based and made with baking soda that has been baked. It gives the noodles a chewy and springy texture that marries perfectly with the soup. Do not use spaghetti, rice or mung bean noodles, nor udon noodles.

Toppings

Traditional ramen typically has sliced fatty or lean pork, a slightly runny marinated boiled egg, minced green onions, some nori and some tender greens like spinach, pea shoots or even small pieces of cooked broccoli.

The combinations are endless and you can make it how you like. However, if you want to make ramen as close to authentic as possible, you need to include the five essential elements described above.

So, how do you make good ramen?

How to make a delicious, easy broth

It all starts with the soup base. Pork stock is the traditional method but I generally make a chicken stock which is lighter and takes less time. Here is the easiest way to make a simple stock:

  • Put the bones and carcass of a chicken into a soup pot and add water to just cover.
  • Toss in an onion stuck with a clove and add a peeled carrot and a few peppercorns. If you have celery stalks or leek tops, throw them in too.
  • Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to a slow simmer and let cook down for about 45 minutes. Cook less if you want a light broth, more if you want it really concentrated.
  • Turn off the heat,strain the stock into a bowl, wash out the pot and strain the stock back into the pot. It’s done.

I usually let the stock cool on the counter and then put it in the fridge overnight and then scape off the layer of fat that settles onto the top. I keep the fat for making the infused oil or use the chicken skin.

How to make a ramen egg

Ramen egg marinade

Mix together in a saucepan, 3 tablespoons of soy sauce, 1/2 cup of water, two tablespoons of brown sugar, a splash of rice vinegar, a 1 inch chunk of ginger, and a clove of garlic smashed. Heat this slowly until it just comes to a simmer and let it cook for around 15 minutes until it cooks down a bit. Turn off the heat.

Cooking the egg

In the meantime, prepare a small soup bowl with cold water and some ice cubes and set aside.Take two eggs, and poke a teensy hole in the large end with a little pin. this is so the egg doesn’t crack. Be gentle here! Bring a small sauce pan of water to a boil, put the eggs in gentle and start a timer for 6 minutes, which is what is recommended. For me, I tend to do 7 minutes as the eggs are never quite firm enough for my liking.

Once the timer goes off, remove the eggs with a spoon and put them in the bowl of ice water, stirring them around so they cool off quickly.

As soon as they’re cool, gently tap them on the counter and peel them. This is the hardest part because if you’re not gentle, they will tear and break and they’re essentially ruined.

Once peeled, place them in a very small container. Take the marinade you made eariler and remove about 4 tablespoons of it and put into a small dish. You will use this for the tare later. Pour the cooled marinade over them.

If they’re not totally covered you can add a little water until the eggs are totally submerged. Cover the container and put them in the fridge for at least two days. If the tops are sticking out above the liquid, gently turn them over after the first day so they’re uniformly marinated.

Tare

Take the reserved marinade and taste it. If it’s not strong enough, add more garlic, ginger, soy sauce and sugar and reheat it until it’s very concentrated. Strain and set aside. There should only be around 2 or 3 tablespoons at the most.

Infused oil

Melt the pork or chicken fat in a small saucepan. Add in two cloves of garlic and a chunk of fresh ginger. That’s all I use for the oil. Let it infuse as it cools and put it in the fridge. You should only have about 3 or 4 tablespoons of oil.

Noodles

I have yet to find fresh ramen noodles in my town in France but I did find dried noodles used for Asian stir-fries. They are wheat noodles, light yellow in colour and are a good alternative to real ramen. Do not use spaghetti, rice or mung bean noodles, nor the fat udon noodles.

Toppings

For the pork, I buy thin slices of what is known in France as “petit sale” which is essentially fatty pork belly. You can use very thinly sliced pork roast or tenderloin. Place the slices into a small fry pan and heat them gently.

Mince a green onion and toast some nori leaves over the gas stove top if you have one. If not, then hold a sheet over a toaster so the nori crisps up a little and then cut into four pieces.

For additional vegetables, you can add fresh spinach leaves, pea shoots or any precooked vegetables like broccoli or mushrooms.

Final preparations

  • Remove the eggs from the marinade and place them on a plate. Cut them in half lengthwise and place them face up so the yolk doesn’t run out.
  • Heat the soup stock. I add some miso paste to mine for added flavour, a dash of soy sauce and let it come almost to a simmer. I often also add dried seaweed known as wakame.
  • Boil some water and put the noodles in to cook. Mine take 4 minutes, but check the time if you’re using fresh noodles as they usually only take around two minutes.
  • Take your big ramen bowls and heat them up by running them under hot water. Dry them off at last moment.

Final assembly

Call your partner to the table and here is how I put everything together. The key to really delicious ramen is that everything must be piping hot when served. Here’s how I do it:

  • Empty and dry the hot bowls.
  • Put a tablespoon each of the tare and infused oil into the bottom of each bowl.
  • Drain the pasta and divide a portion into each bowl.
  • Pour the soup stock into each bowl just until the noodles are covered.
  • Place a slice or two of the warmed up pork onto the surface of each bowl.
  • Add the eggs, yolk side up.
  • Nestle in some fresh chopped spinach or pea shoots, previously cooked broccoli or any other green leafy vegetable into the bowl, pushing it down a little into the broth.
  • Top with the minced green onion, tuck in a square of nori and sprinkle on some toasted sesame seeds.

Serve the soup with spoon and a set of chopsticks and eat quickly before the soup gets cold. Enjoy!

Below is a photo of the first ramen I made in France and I added some bamboo shoots and leftover cooked cauliflower as well. Yum.

Vegetarian and Vegan Options

I make vegetable stock with an onion, carrot, leeks, celery, and sometimes some fennel if I have it and that’s about it. Add in a couple of dried shitake mushrooms to give the stock some depth and what is known as “umami.” That’s an additional flavour known as a kind of earthy meaty flavour. Make the stock exactly the same way you would for the chicken stock.

For the protein, you can use yuba, which is the skin off the top of boiled soy milk, tofu or if you eat fish then add some shrimp or fish that won’t fall apart in the stock. For the infused oil just use a neutral vegetable oil like sunflower oil in place of the animal fat.

What’s great about using a vegetarian stock is that you can make ramen to suit everyone as people can choose their own toppings. Those who can’t have gluten? Alas, if you have found any gluten-free noodles that you like, I’d love it if you could share them in the comments below.

Resources for your ramen quest

One of the best resources I’ve found for learning how to make authentic ramen is YouTube’s Adam Liaw. He breaks down all of the elements of ramen, goes through the entire process in several episodes and if you follow his process, the ramen you make will be awesome.

While I did most of what he suggested, I didn’t actually make the broth as he suggested. Why? Because I simply don’t have the time to tend a pork broth for hours. Check out the first in his series called Ramen School:

Here is his link for the full recipe.

Final thoughts

Why, in a blog about living and travelling in France, did I go to so much trouble to talk about ramen? Well, it’s because when one is adapting to life in a new country, having a few reminders of home is never a bad idea.

It’s also something that I plan on making on the road as we travel in the van. Sure, I may not completely follow the long marinades etc, but there is something appealing about creating a hearty soup with noodles, meat and vegetables all in the same bowl. I’ll let you know if I get around the making in our travels.

I love French food and continue to explore and earn recipes. There is, however, a whole world of cuisine that is worth exploring and I am happy to know that my husband loves ramen now as much as I do. I’m grateful that he is open to exploring different foods and its that sharing that is part of our journey together.

And you? What foods do you miss most when you are on your travels or away from home? I’d love to hear your thoughts so please feel free to leave a comment below. Till next time…

Bisous,

Dana