Miso Ramen with Roasted Chicken Thighs and Ramen Egg

We love ramen. The rich, satisfying broth, the fresh, crunchy vegetables and the chewy, silky noodles. Not to mention the jammy, savory-and-sweet marinated soft boiled egg. Until recently, I didn’t think it was possible to make ramen at home. Now, with a little prep and some imagination (and the availability of good miso these days), it is actually pretty easy to make ramen at home, although I’ll admit this recipe has a lot of parts. The ramen egg, a soft boiled egg marinated in sweet, slightly boozy soy sauce, needs at least four hours to marinate (some recipes say a minimum of 24 hours), and can be kept in the fridge for up to four days. So, it’s a wonderful thing to make ahead. If you don’t think you or your family will enjoy having a runny yolk and soft egg with their ramen, feel free to skip making it. But it really is delicious and a part of the traditional ramen experience, so I do recommend trying it at least once. It is called ajitsuke tamago in Japan.

With regards to toppings, the only necessary toppings are some kind of crunchy vegetable (julienned carrots and bean sprouts are my favorite), some nori (seaweed sheets; I use nori snacks, cut into ribbons with my kitchen shears) and your chosen protein (in this case the roasted chicken thighs). Optional toppings are chili powder (the Japanese chili condiment is called shichimi togarashi), sesame seeds, seafood cake (narutomaki) and sliced spring onions.

Miso Ramen with Roasted Chicken Thighs & Ramen Eggs

Serves 4

ramen egg ingredients

4 eggs

Marinade

1/3 cup low sodium soy sauce

1/3 cup mirin (Japanese sherry); any semi dry white wine will do nicely as a substitute

2 Tablespoons sugar

(optional) 

1 teaspoon of gochujang, or any hot sauce (pref a sweet hot sauce)

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

Method

Heat the marinade ingredients in a small pot until the sugar has dissolved. Set marinade aside. Put a medium sized pot filled with water on to boil. Beside the stove place a metal bowl filled with cold or ice water. When the water is boiling, lower the heat to low and gently place your eggs into the water, taking care not to crack the shells (I use a soup ladle for this). Bring back to a boil and cook the eggs for 6 1/2 minutes. Transfer them quickly to the cold water. When they have cooled down enough to peel, do so carefully and combine them with the other ingredients in a quart freezer bag. Place the eggs and marinade together in the bag and refrigerate until ready to use (minimum four hours and up to four days).

Roasted Chicken Thighs

4 skin-on, bone-in chicken thighs (approx 1.1 lbs)

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon soy sauce

1 1/2 teaspoons honey (opt)

1 teaspoon sesame oil

2 Tablespoons vegetable oil

Method

Rinse and pat dry your chicken, especially the skin. Rub skin with oils and honey, season with spices and drizzle with the soy sauce. Roast for 35-45 minutes (or until a thermometer inserted into the thickest part reads 165 or above). Set the chicken thighs aside for serving with the ramen. Strain the fat and set aside. Now you’re ready to assemble the ramen.

Ramen Noodle Soup

3 packages store bought ramen, flavor packets reserved for another recipe

5 cups chicken stock

1/2 cup white or yellow miso

3 large cloves garlic, peeled and scored

2 Tablespoons vegetable oil

2 Tablespoons reserved chicken fat

Toppings

1 cup bean sprouts, rinsed

1 cup julienned carrots

Ramen eggs

1 ounce nori, sliced into ribbons

Method

Pan roast garlic in vegetable oil until the garlic has turned golden and has softened. Set aside. In a large pot bring 5 cups of water and the chicken stock to a boil. Boil ramen noodles for 3 minutes, then divide noodles up between four serving bowls. Turn the heat down to a simmer and add miso and chicken fat. Mash garlic and add garlic as well. To serve, divide broth between bowls. Pull the chicken meat from the bones. Top with 1/4 of each of the toppings, starting with the chicken and vegetables, then one egg each, sliced in half and finally the nori and chili powder (if desired).

 

Sweet Soy Ginger Tempeh with Kale Special Anniversary Edition

 I’ve recently celebrated the ten year anniversary of my first blog post. To mark the occasion I’ve given the dish from that first post a bit of a makeover, as well as an updated photo (of sorts). Below are some excerpts from the first post and the update to the recipe.

Lately I've been craving Tempeh and Kale with rice; growing up as I did in Woodstock, it is considered something of a comfort food dish. 

For those of you who are unfamiliar, Tempeh is a delicious soy protein cake made from soy and other whole grains fermented together. It is nutty, very dense and quite dry, which can make it difficult to work with. It softens and becomes more moist when it has been heated. 

In this updated version of the recipe I sear the tempeh and use ginger in the accompanying light teriyaki style sauce. I was very happy with the small amount of zing it imparted to the tempeh in my dish. I recommend serving this with white rice.

Ginger Teriyaki Tempeh with Kale

Serves 2

Ingredients

1 lb tempeh, cut into 2” pieces

5 ounces kale, washed, stems trimmed & chopped into 1” pieces

1/2 yellow onion, julienned

1 teaspoon grated ginger

2 cloves garlic, minced or pressed

1/4 cup, plus 2 Tablespoons light brown sugar

3 Tablespoons low sodium soy sauce

2 Tablespoons neutral oil

1/2 teaspoon sesame oil

For Serving

3 cups cooked white rice

(optional garnish) small sprinkling of black sesame seeds

Method

In a small, heavy bottomed pan over low heat, combine soy sauce, sugar, garlic and ginger together with 3 Tablespoons of water. Bring to a simmer, then turn down to the lowest possible heat. Cook for 5-10 minutes, or until the sauce has reached the desired consistency (it will thicken a little bit on standing). Set sauce aside in the pan. Meanwhile, rinse rice under running water several times and drain. Bring to a boil with stock or water (I do half and half and since I like firmer rice I usually use 1 1/2 cups liquid to 1 cup of rice; this will make approximately 3 cups cooked rice), then reduce to the lowest heat. Cook rice for 12 minutes.  Once you’ve finished the sauce and while the rice is cooking, add the oil to a large wok or saucepan, saute onion and kale together with a tiny pinch of salt and a pinch of pepper until cooked through. Set kale/onions aside. Add sesame oil to the wok. If needed, add more oil to the wok, enough to shallow fry the tempeh. Pan fry the tempeh on medium heat for about 1 minute per surface. Cook until it is lightly browned on all sides. To serve, reheat sauce, pile tempeh over greens and drizzle generously with sauce.

The Joyous Kitchen Turns 10! Celebrating 10 years of Food and Fun + 10 new ideas

 Howdy folks! It's been too long! Yesterday was a long travel day for us, where we drove almost 400 miles home from visiting our family. We already miss them! yesterday was also the tenth anniversary of my very first blog post! Unbelievable that it has been a decade of food, fun, laughter and warmth 💕

To those of you who have followed along, commented and supported The Joyous Kitchen, Josh and I are so grateful for you! Thank you so much for your support; we are deeply thankful and I truly don't know what we would do without you! Since this is a special blog post, it will follow a special format. First, I'll announce ten ideas for The Joyous Kitchen, in honor of our ten year anniversary. Then, we will highlight the top five posts (by views). Stay tuned next Tuesday for a revamp of my very first post. It's about time I re-take my very first photo ever. Now on to the special content!

Ten Ideas for Ten Years

1. The Joyous Kitchen YouTube channel. Starting in January you can look forward to videos with recipes from The Joyous Kitchen, as well as special guest recipes. If you have interest in the occasional food history episode, let us know in the comments.

2. We are going to be featuring gardening tips, including composting tips, soil quality tips, planting times and recommendations on what to grow to nourish your family. I'll also have a guest on our YouTube channel who is a lifelong gardener and is full of fabulous information.

3. As many of you may already know, I've recently branched out into publishing with a monthly recipe magazine, first under the name Food in the Time of Quarantine and now under Global Gourmet Magazine. Under the former name it started as a magazine featuring pantry recipes; under the latter name our focus is now environmentally friendly recipes. The magazine includes recipes directly from my blog, but often with updated writing. It also features the writing and recipes of several of my very talented blogging friends.

4. One week a month I'll be doing a basics post. For example how to make gravy with a roux or the different types of mirepoix.

5. I'm planning a site redesign, which, 6. will include a skip to recipe feature. 

7. I'm working on a garden to table cookbook. I hope to be making it available in the spring,

8. I've gotten into fridge pickles in a big way and I am experimenting with fermentation, so expect to see some fun pickle recipes in the future.

9. The Joyous Kitchen is excited to be featuring kids crafts and rainy day ideas.

10. Most excitingly, I'll be moving my blog to its own domain name, so it will be easier to find and share.

Top 5 posts:

Leftover Shakshuka with Potatoes 

Zucchini & Parmesan Arancini

Grilled Salmon with Spicy Teriyaki Glaze

The Hound: Grapefruit, Vodka & Elderflower Cocktail

Shredded Chicken & Refried Bean Dip

August issue of Food in the Time of Quarantine + The BEST Corn on the Cob (Elotes)

We want to help you make the most out of your summer with the August issue of Food in the Time of Quarantine (DOWNLOAD HERE)! From cooling, refreshing recipes, to meals that make the most of summer vegetables and fruits, you will find lovely dishes 

Also in this issue are my Elotes (Mexican Corn on the Cob)

July Issue of Food in the Time of Quarantine + Popsicles 3 Ways

Download your free copy of the magazine here

I'm so pleased to announce the July 2021 issue of Food in the Time of Quarantine! While we've had a good run we are starting to feel the name is no longer relevant, even if the impetus--taking something off of people's (mental) plates--remains so. After August we will be choosing a new name and keeping the spirit of the magazine the same: elegant cheap eats in an easy to read format. Hope you're as excited for the changes as we are!

Read on for three brand new recipes (also included in the magazine)

These Three Fabulous Popsicle Recipes are a Perfect Way to Beat the Heat

When it’s hot outside, there’s nothing more refreshing than a popsicle. With an abundance of lovely summer fruit available, our favorite popsicles are the homemade kind. My son and I recently got a popsicle mold that came with cellophane popsicle bags, and we had a blast thinking up different ingredient combinations to fill them. He also had a ton of fun actually filling them with the tiny funnel. 

Macerating the strawberries will take 30 minutes and deeply enhances the strawberry flavor in these pops. Macerated strawberries are also a fantastic dessert with some whipped cream, especially when they’re macerated with a sip of grand marnier or another orange liqueur. They’ll keep for 3-4 days covered in the fridge, should you want to double the recipe. If you want to skip this step you can gently crush your strawberries before adding them to your lemonade (use the same amount of berries).

If you’re an aesthete it might bother you that the lime juice settles at one or both ends of the pop. That being said, the watermelon, lime and mint popsicles taste utterly amazing--sweet, fresh and slightly tangy. 

If you want fiber free mango yogurt pops, be sure to strain your pureed mango through a fine mesh strainer over a bowl, pushing the mango pulp through with the back of a large sturdy cooking spoon.

Read on for our three favorite recipes.

Strawberry Lemonade Popsicles

 Makes 10 (3 oz) popsicles

Ingredients

For the Macerated Strawberries:

1 pint strawberries, sliced

Juice of 1 lemon

2 Tablespoons fine granulated sugar

For the Lemonade:

 Juice of 3 lemons

3 cups filtered water

 1/2 cup sugar

Macerated strawberries

Method:

Macerate the strawberries:

In a mixing bowl, toss the berries together with the lemon  juice and sugar. Cover and let it sit in the refrigerator a minimum of 30 minutes, and up to 4 days. Use the macerated strawberries in the strawberry lemonade.

Make the lemonade:

Mix the lemonade ingredients and strawberries together thoroughly. When sugar is dissolved and everything is combined, pour equally into your molds.  Freeze on a level surface in your freezer until solid.

Watermelon, Lime & Mint Popsicles

Makes 10 (3 oz) popsicles

Ingredients

1 “personal” sized seedless watermelon (about the size of a volleyball)

Juice of 2 limes

Small handful (about 1/4 cup) mint leaves, washed

Method:

Quarter watermelon and cut flesh away from the rind. Rough chop. Roll mint leaves together into a tight bundle and slice through thinly (chiffonade). In a blender combine mint, lime juice and 3/4 of the chopped watermelon. Blend until the watermelon has liquified. Divide the remaining chopped watermelon among your popsicle molds and pour in liquified fruit to fill the molds. Freeze on a level surface in your freezer until solid.

If you have any remaining liquid it tastes great  chilled with rum.

Mango, Yogurt & Cardamom Simple Syrup Popsicles

Makes 10 (3 oz) popsicles

Ingredients

For the popsicles

5 ripe mangoes

1 1/2 cups full fat greek yogurt

1/4 cup cardamom syrup (recipe below)

For the cardamom syrup

1 Tablespoon ground cardamom

1/4 cup sugar

1/4 cup filtered water

Method

First, make the syrup. You can make the syrup up to 4 days in advance (see notes). To make the syrup add the cardamom, sugar and water to a heavy bottomed pan over low heat. Once the sugar is dissolved, take it off of the heat. Allow the syrup to cool and the cardamom flavor to seep into the syrup. Meanwhile, prepare the mango: peel, rough chop and remove from the pit. Set a fine mesh sieve over a mixing bowl and force mango flesh through with the back of a spoon. For every mango you should retain about 75% of the flesh and only leave a small clump of fibers behind. Once mango has been prepared, mix in yogurt and syrup. Divide equally between your popsicle molds.

Notes

If you like you can allow time for the cardamom flavor to steep in the syrup then strain it out through a fine mesh sieve. I found this step unnecessary as it did not add anything to the flavor and I am planning not to strain the cardamom from the syrup next time, if I can’t find some kind of whole cardamom before the next time we make these popsicles.  Freeze on a level surface in your freezer until solid.

 

Food in the Time of Quarantine June Issue is out now!

 Hello dear readers!

This month our magazine is all about cooking with fruit, since there's an abundance of lovely fruit available during the summer months! If you live on the opposite side of the globe, hang onto this for your summer season. In any case, Buen Provecho!

Download or browse for free: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1SC55oEVG31X6a5Kf6883hWqTjUFBta7d/view?usp=sharing

Camarones (Shrimp) Al Pastor & Avocado Lime Crema

Memorial Day is coming up and if you haven’t already, many of us will probably plan to fire up the grill. Al Pastor is a great, flavorful marinade that can be used for any type of meat. It is traditionally used for pork tacos, which are then prepared in the traditional shawarma style. In fact, Al Pastor means “In the Style of the Shepherd,” which is how the Greek expats in Mexico were affectionately called and named because the dish is in the Greek style--traditionally cooked over a spit in a conical shape just like the Greek street meat, Shawarma. Al Pastor has citrus and pineapple, the acidity of which also helps to tenderize the meat, so it’s a great marinade for cuts that tend to dry out quickly. Try it at your next barbecue--you’re going to love it!

The main inspiration for this dish is these lovely Pickled Red Onions from Azlin Bloor of linsfood.com & singaporeanmalaysianrecipes.com/. They got me to thinking about tacos. Especially Al Pastor, since it's a delightful, flavorful way to prepare any kind of protein--from pork to tofu! The sweet pineapple and smoky chipotles would be a fabulous counterpoint to the tart, spicy, utterly fabulous pickled onions. And it was! I highly recommend this combination--especially making the pickled onions as they take only 5 minutes and are the absolute best thing with so many dishes, especially tacos!

Tacos Camarones Al Pastor (Grilled Shrimp Tacos) with Avocado Lime Crema 

Serves 2 (Makes approx 6 tacos)

For the Al Pastor Shrimp 

1 lb tiger shrimp, peeled & deveined

½ pineapple, cored & cut into rough chunks

1 jalapeño, seeds & ribs removed

2 cloves garlic

1 Tablespoon oregano (pref Mexican oregano)

1 Tablespoon chili powder (not cayenne)

1 teaspoon cumin seeds or ground cumin

½ teaspoon whole peppercorns

½ teaspoon salt

2 (tinned) chipotlé peppers in adobo + 1 Tablespoon of the adobo sauce from the tin

¼ cup apple cider vinegar (can use any type)

1 cup pineapple juice

For the Cilantro, Avocado & Lime Crema

1 ripe avocado

2 Tablespoons fresh cilantro leaves & stems

Juice of 4 limes

1 cup crema or sour cream

For the Tacos

1 cup cooked black beans

¼ head of cabbage, sliced thinly

2 radishes, sliced very thinly

Handful cilantro leaves

~2 Tablespoons crumbled cotija (sub feta)

Pickled onions, as per preference (about 2-3 per taco)

Avocado Lime Cilantro Crema

Camarones (Shrimp) Al Pastor

1/2 cup fire roasted corn (can be found in the freezer section at Trader Joe’s)

12 small soft corn tortillas

1/2 pineapple, cored, cut into slices and grilled (just enough to get some grill marks) 

Marinate the Shrimp

Toss everything from the Al Pastor ingredient list but the shrimp into the blender. Blend the ingredients until smooth. Thread shrimp 5-6 on a skewer. In a baking dish or food storage container, combine shrimp and blended ingredients. Marinate for 15-30 minutes. Meanwhile, you can prepare the other ingredients. First, the avocado, lime, cilantro crema.

Make the Crema

Throw all of the ingredients into the blender and blend until smooth. Pour into a squeeze bottle 

for serving. 

Prep for the Tacos & Grill the Shrimp

Heat the black beans, crumble the cotija cheese, slice the radishes, cabbage and cilantro and rough chop your grilled pineapple; get your taco toppings ready. Preheat your grill to medium high. Brush the grate generously with oil. Remove the shrimp from the marinade and shake off any excess. Grill the shrimp 2-3 minutes per side, or until they are fully cooked. Heat all 12 tortillas over the grill for about 30 seconds per side (you want a tiny bit of color and mostly to soften them up). 

Assemble tacos

This can more or less be done in any order, but you could layer two tortillas together, then put in the cabbage, beans, corn & pineapple, with the shrimp over, then top with cotija, crema, radishes and a sprinkling of minced cilantro. Serve immediately.

#taco #tacotuesday #alpastor #tacos

This piece will also be published in the upcoming issue of The Santa Cruz Mountain Bulletin