Marinated Eggs

 I am trying to perfect soft boiled eggs, which have been difficult. I have found that following the sous vide instructions does not work, because eight minutes at 194 degrees produces eggs where the whites are too loose. It won't extract from the peel, and it is generally a mess.

Today I tried six eggs, 194 degrees, for ten minutes. Specifically, I add the eggs, then start the timer. I add the eggs one at a time in a slotted spoon, so it takes a few seconds. I have to be very careful, or risk cracking the eggs when they go in. 

The result was interesting. Several of the eggs peeled rather easily, but still seemed soft enough to be truly soft boiled. Several still had adolescent whites, clinging to the shell. There must be a thirty second window around the ten minute mark, given that some of the eggs had to have cooked longer, and I could not tell you which ones they were. 

Marinade (a totally made-up recipe on my part):

• 1/2 cup soy sauce
• 1/4 cup mirin
  
• 1/8 tsp cayenne
• 1 tbsp brown sugar
• 1 star anise

Weeknight Ramen

Ramen ought to be an easy meal. I'm not there yet. Here is where I am so far.




STEP 1: THE BROTH

2 quarts water
2 strips kelp
1/2 cup bonita flakes

Simmer the kelp in the water for ten minutes, then add the bonita flakes, simmer another five. Strain out the kelp and bonita flakes. Turn off heat and over.

STEP 2: PROTEINS

I used a sous vide preparation for soft boiled eggs at six minutes, 194 degrees followed by an iced water bath. Then I cracked the eggs and dunked them in warm water and peeled. It was a disaster. The eggs were almost formless. NEXT TIME: cook a touch longer then let them rest at room temperature.

UPDATE: skip the ice bath, and it works really, really well. Eggs were a little too firm, if anything, so maybe a warm water bath?

STEP 3: THE SOUP BASE

the base

2 tsp microplaned ginger
3 tsp microplaned garlic
2 tsp sesame seed oil
3 tbsp soy sauce (low sodium, as it happens)
2 tbsp mirin




Add the base to the broth and heat on low.
Then add: Shitake mushrooms

This is our broth.


STEP 4: FINISHING

Cook noodles (we tried cooking them in the broth and it predictably ate up lots of the broth.)

We added greens to make it a one pot meal.

Ramen ... for once

Small confession: I've never had good ramen. I know there are hip eateries entirely devoted to the noodles, and people who have had the real deal in Japan swear by it. The only place I've had that approximates good ramen is a noodle shop in Manhattan, near Columbia University. I have no idea if that was good ramen or not.

My daughter is a Japanese food nut, and she wants ramen. She announced this half way through a food supply run and it forced me to change up my game a little. Find the ingredients and give it a shot. So I scared up a few recipes, made some adjustments, and then put this out there:

STEP 1: THE PROTEIN

I fried up some boneless/skinless chicken breasts in butter in a cast-iron skillet, and finished them in the oven. They had a nice crust.

I boiled some water and then soft boiled three eggs. the technique was to reduce the boil to a simmer and cook the eggs for 6 minutes, then give them an ice water bath and a manicure. My daughter peeled the eggs. She's better at it than I am.

STEP 2: THE BROTH

the base

2 tsp minced ginger
3 tsp minced garlic
2 tsp sesame seed oil

(fry up garlic and ginger in oil in heavy bottoomed sauce/frying pan), about one minute, then add:

3 tbsp soy sauce (low sodium, as it happens)
2 tbsp mirin

(The broth is too salty, so I recommend reducing the soy-mirin base and increasing the garlic-ginger base.)
(update: reduced the soy-mirin base by 1/2 and doubled garlic and ginger. Much better broth!)

(let flavors meld, then add:)

3 1/2 cups chicken broth (homemade, which is why it wasn't 4)
1/2 cup water
Shitake mushrooms

This is our broth.

I served it over fresh noodles that were a little more like Udon or Soba than Ramen, or so I'm told. I like the noodles, but my wife and chil do not, so I will have to try different ones.

Garnished with scallions.