Instant Pot “Sake” Special Ramen

Last Wednesday was an unusual day for me. I guess I was feeling adventurous? First I did something different with my hair when I went to the salon. Then I went to our sushi restaurant (Sake Sushi) and did not order sushi. I always get sushi? But this time, I got ramen off of the daily specials. It was a first for me. I have never had real proper ramen, just the cheap packaged ramen. I was really impressed. The broth was creamy looking not clear. And the first bite well it was almost smoky and definitely savory. So good! The bowl was beautiful too, loaded with lots of flavorful toppings; like nori, green onion, fish cake (another first), perfect grilled chicken and a ramen egg. The RAMEN EGG! Oh my gosh! I was so surprised with that savory, salty little egg. It was so good! I can’t wait to go to a ramen house one day. I really loved it! So when I got home I started to do some research.

I started by searching for instant pot recipes. Wait! Did I tell you dear sister bought an instant pot during the Amazon Prime Day sale. She is keeping it at my house. [Smile] So that means I got a new toy. I have been using it more than I thought I would. So look forward to more instant pot recipes in the future. This being the very first. Anyway... I knew I wanted to make the eggs and the broth in the instant pot. I found a few recipes but the broth did not look the same. So I kept searching. In the end, I used a little bit of every ramen recipe I read or watched to make this ramen. I made sure to roast the bones like one recipe said to do. I added chicken bones to mellow the flavor like another recipe suggested. I made sure to brown the onions like another recipe insisted. I added dried mushrooms for umami as one recipe recommended. I made sure to stir the broth breaking up the bones to get that creamy broth rather than a clear liquid. I seasoned the broth with the flavors of Japanese soup base as another blog suggest. I used mirin, tamari, and instant dashi for the kombu and bonito flavors. It turned out so good! Very close to the inspiration ramen I had at Sake Sushi. I even made the ramen egg too. I need to work on my technique with this one. The flavor is spot on but as you will see in the photos the shape and color was uneven. I made the mistake of putting something on top to weight it down in the marinade. So one side was squished and had less color and therefore flavor. Don't weight it down! I have four in the frig right now secured with a rubber band and hanging from a chopstick across a plastic container. I feel this is going to turn out much better. My favorite parts of this ramen is the broth, ramen egg and chicken; in that order. I think you should definitely make sure to put those ingredients in your bowl. Maybe add some green onion, not too much just a little sprinkle. The chicken was a surprise to me too. The mirin really added to the color and grill marks. I have never had grilled chicken turn out that attractive. I may start adding mirin to more marinades.

This whole experience was a lot of fun. I made six - two cup containers of ramen broth. I put three in the freezer right away. So now I have it just waiting on me to have a craving. This was time consuming not instant as the title might suggest. But the instant pot was an invaluable tool to the process. It let me develop great flavor in less time and really made the broth spectacular. I see myself doing this again real soon. I hope you give it a try. If you have instant pot or ramen tips for me please comment. I would love to hear about your successes too.

Instant Pot “Sake” Special Ramen

Makes 12 cups of broth; 6 servings

Ingredients

For ramen eggs:

3 eggs

3 Tbsp. reduced sodium tamari (or soy sauce)

3 Tbsp. mirin

9 Tbsp. water

For broth:

2 to 3 lbs. pork neck bones

1 to 2 frozen rotisserie chicken carcasses

1 Tbsp. canola oil

1 large yellow onion, sliced

3” piece of ginger, peeled and sliced

2 large cloves garlic, smashed and peeled

4 green onions, whole

3 dried black mushrooms

5 Tbsp. reduced sodium tamari (or soy sauce)

2 Tbsp. mirin

1 tsp. sesame oil

1 tsp. miso paste

1 tsp. instant dashi granules

For grilled chicken:

2 boneless skinless chicken breast

Reduced sodium tamari (or soy sauce)

Mirin

Sesame oil

Black pepper

For ramen bowl:

6 servings Ramen noodles, boiled to package directions

Ramen broth

For toppings:

Ramen eggs, halved

Fish cake or imitation crab, sliced

Toasted nori

Grilled chicken, sliced

3 green onions, sliced

Mushrooms, reserved from broth and sliced

Directions

Ramen eggs:

Combine tamari, mirin and water in a plastic bag. Set aside.

Place steam rack inside the pressure cooker. Add exactly 1 cup of cool tap water into the pot. Place eggs straight from the refrigerator in the center of the pot. Cook at Low Pressure for 5 minutes*, then quick release (QR).

After quick release, immediately take out the eggs and soak in ice bath to stop them from cooking. Let them cool for 5 minutes or longer.

Gently peel the eggs. Put the eggs in the sauce bag and close tightly. The eggs should be submerged in the marinade. Marinate for at least 3-4 hours in the refrigerator. I recommend overnight.

Take the eggs out of the marinade and discard the marinade. Cut each egg in half to serve. Enjoy the eggs as is or place them in your ramen bowl as a topping.

*Note: Want to know how to cook the eggs just like you like them. [Click Here] to learn how to cook soft, medium or hard boiled eggs in your pressure cooker.

Ramen broth:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Place pork neck bones in a roasting pan, season with sea salt and black pepper. Roast for 45 minutes, flip bones over and roast 30 minutes.

In the last few minutes of cooking time, place instant pot on saute. Add canola oil and sliced onion. Cook the onions until brown on one side then flip to brown on the other side. Stir to separate into rings and brown evenly. Turn off and add a little water if necessary to prevent burning.

When pork has finished roasting, transfer the bones to instant pot with the onions.  Immediately pour off fat and discard. Add 1-1/2 cups of the water to the pan, and use a spoon to scrape the browned bits off the bottom of the pan.

Transfer the pan drippings to instant pot with the onions. Add chicken bones, ginger, garlic, green onions, and mushrooms. Add cool water to the max fill line. Set the instant pot to cook under high pressure for 30 minutes. When cycle is complete let rest 5 minutes and perform a quick release. Stir the pot really well. Scraping the bottom of the pot and breaking up bones. Set the instant pot to cook under high pressure for another 30 minutes. When cycle is complete let rest 5 minutes and perform a quick release. Stir the pot really well again, breaking up bones some more. Place the instant pot to saute and bring to a boil. Boil for 5 minutes or longer. Turn off if broth begin to splash over the edge of the pot liner.

Let the liquid cool for a little while. Reserve the mushrooms and set aside. Remove the other solids and discard, then strain the stock through a fine mesh strainer, and transferring the liquid to another container. Clean the liner of the instant pot and pour broth back into pot. Season broth with tamari, mirin, sesame oil, miso and dashi. Keep warm and allow flavors to blend.

Serve the broth, refrigerate overnight and remove the fat cap (if you prefer) before re-heating or freeze for your future bowls of ramen.

Grilled chicken:

Place chicken breast in a freezer bag pound to even out thickness. Season chicken with black pepper, a drizzle of sesame oil and equal parts tamari and mirin to cover chicken. Marinate 20 minutes at room temperature, flipping and moving around in the marinade at least once half way through marinating time.

Preheat grill for 10 minutes, lower heat to medium high. Remove chicken from marinade and grill chicken for 6 minutes, flip chicken and grill for 6 more minutes or until internal temperature of 160 degrees is reached. Remove from grill and rest at least 10 minutes before slicing. Slice chicken for use as a topping.

Ramen bowl:

To assemble the ramen, cook the noodles (discarding any flavor packets), according to package instructions.

Divide the noodles between bowls. Pour the hot broth directly over the noodles, then add whatever toppings you desire. Serve immediately.

Linking to:
Kahakai Kitchen: Souper Sundays

Masonable Mondays #2 - Scrambles

Welcome to Masonable Mondays #2! Today we are doing breakfast. I have been making egg mugs since I discovered Hungry Girl's blog, newsletters and cookbooks. They are a quick and easy microwave scrambles made in a coffee mug. So I decided to try it in a Masonable. The masonable is the perfect container for taking a scramble on the go. You can use those fruit cups to keep garnishes or "go-with" items separate from your wet scramble ingredients. Wouldn't it be nice to have several made in advance that you could just grab and take to work? I made four different styles and three different breads to go with each scramble. Anything you put in a omelette or quiche would make a great Masonable Scramble. The only thing to remember is to cook any veggie that releases a lot of liquid first, cool and drain before adding to your masonable. Cheese helps make your scramble creamy. Hungry Girl loves to use Laughing Cow cheese wedges. They really are delicious. I like adding Mexican cheese blend, Parmesan and cream cheese too. The variety is endless! Scroll down for a Mexican style with savory sausage, cheese and salsa. Or maybe you would like something a bit more sophisticated like Salmon and Dill with creamy cream cheese. Or maybe you need more veggies, try the Broccoli one with Swiss cheese and ham. And finally a classic Tomato and Basil with a little mozzarella cheese. That is something different every morning and on the fifth day you can make your own creation. I hope you try it and come back to share what you put in your #Masonable.

Masonable Scrambles
Serves 1

Supplies

1 wide mouth pint Mason jar
1 or 2 empty fruit cups

Ingredients

Cooking spray
2 large eggs or 1/2 cup egg substitute
a splash of milk
Kosher salt, black pepper and red pepper flakes, to taste
your choice of optional ingredients

Directions

Spray a one pint, wide mouth mason jar with cooking spray. Add optional ingredients to the bottom of the mason jar. Beat eggs with a splash of milk, salt and peppers; add to jar. Prepare your jar for storage in the refrigerator. Add lid any "go-withs" if using, fruit cups and mason jar ring. Place in refrigerator until ready to cook. To cook remove ring, cups and lid; stir well and microwave uncovered for 45 seconds on high. Stir again and microwave for 30 seconds. Stir again and microwave for 15 to 30 seconds until desired doneness. It is best to under cook because your scramble will continue to cook a bit after you remove from microwave.

Mexican Masonable Scramble

1 Tbsp. precooked reduced fat pork breakfast sausage

1 Tbsp. 2% Mexican Cheese Blend

1 Tbsp. your favorite salsa

Mini Flour Tortillas

Salmon and Dill Masonable Scramble

1 slice smoked salmon, chopped

1 oz. cream cheese, chopped

2 shakes of dried dill

Mini Toast

Broccoli Masonable Scrambles

1 slice of deli ham, chopped

1 slice of Swiss cheese, chopped

1 broccoli floret, divided into small florets and

microwaved 1 minute, cooled and drained

Mini Drop Biscuits

Tomato and Basil Masonable Scramble

4 grape tomatoes, quartered

1 tsp. basil, minced

1 Tbsp. Mozzerella cheese
Mini Drop Biscuits

Now the bread "go-withs" or accompaniments are really an experiment. When hot they are really tasty. We will see how they re-heat. I have my doubts. I will definitely let you know next week. After preparing them I thought about how great tater tots would be as an accompaniment. Yum! Also round corn chips would make a great "go-with" for the Mexican scramble.

Mini Drop Biscuits

I made this Drop Biscuit recipe for one then dropped them 

in six small spoonfuls. I baked them at 450 for 10 minutes, 

then brushed them with a little melted butter.
Re-heat wrapped in paper towel in the microwave for 15 to 20 seconds on high.

Mini Flour Tortillas

I just used a cookie cutter that fit in the fruit cup 

to cut out mini rounds from the larger tortilla.

Mini Toast

I cut a slice of bread into quarters and butter each side. 

Then I browned them in a pan on each side.

Mini Toast re-heats well in a dry pan on medium high heat flipping often.

Other egg recipes to try in a mason jar:

Hungry Girl Egg Mug Recipes

Egg Beaters Egg Mug Scrambler Recipes

The Incredible Egg Video

Linking to:

Ramblings of a (Bad) Domestic Goddess: Turn It Up Tuesdays

Dizzy, Busy & Hungry: Wine'd Down Wednesday

Baked Eggs with Avocado

I am still in love with Baked Eggs. I made two new styles with avocado this weekend. I have been seeing all the pins on Pinterest about baking eggs in avocado halves. So why wouldn't avocados make a great baked eggs ingredients? Both styles were delicious! Very fresh tasting. The California style is veggie packed with spinach, tomatoes, mushrooms and creamy avocado. This one needs a bit more salt for some reason. So sprinkle to taste. It just helps to highlight all the fresh veggie flavor. The Bacon, Avocado & Tomato style was my favorite. It taste like a BLAT without the lettuce. It is so tasty! It has everything something fresh, crispy and creamy. Love it! The only con is the Avocado does brown little so the color is not as pretty as when it is first sliced. But I really like the warm creamy avocado. So you be the judge. Bake the avocado or add it as a garnish, just be sure to enjoy more avocado!

Cooking Method

Preheat oven to 425°F. Lightly spray ramekin with cooking spray. Place veggies, bacon if using and avocado around the edges of the ramekin. Creating a small well in the center of the ingredients. Crack 1 egg into the well. Season eggs with Krazy salt and pepper. Bake for 10 minutes for a running yolk; 12 minutes to set the yolk. Ovens vary so adjust time to cook eggs to your liking. Garnish and serve immediately.

Bacon, Avocado & Tomato Baked Eggs

8 or 10 grape tomatoes, halved

1/2 avocado, peeled, pitted and chopped

1 slice pre-cooked bacon, chopped

1 large egg

Jane's Krazy Salt and black pepper, to taste

California Baked Eggs

Handful of baby spinach leaves

6 grape tomatoes, halved

1 mushroom, sliced

1/2 avocado, peeled, pitted and chopped

1 large egg

Jane's Krazy Salt and black pepper, to taste

For more Baked Eggs check out this older post

Baked Eggs 8 Ways

Linking to:

Dizzy, Busy & Hungry: Wine'd Down Wednesday

Baked Eggs 8 Ways

Before my ankle injury, I had become obsessed with baked eggs. I got the idea from the Domestic Geek. You can make so many different styles. I have made spinach, artichoke and cheese. I have made bacon, tomato and Swiss too. Mushroom is also delicious. I even made one Miga style with broken corn chips, salsa and cheese. The possibilities are endless! I LOVE the texture of the egg whites cooked this way. That is saying a lot because I am not an egg white fan. I usually find them a little rubbery, but baked eggs are softer. I really really like the texture. You can make them healthy with all veggies or decadent with lots of cheese, sausage and/ or bacon. It is all up to you. I have baked several ramekins at once and was able to cook them according to each persons taste. Dear sister likes her yolk set so I just left hers in longer. Easy! So here are eight ways to enjoy baked eggs. I hope you will find one to make for your breakfast.

Baked Eggs
Serve 1

Ingredients

Cooking spray
1 large egg
your choice of protein, veggies and/or cheese
Kosher salt, black pepper and seasonings, to taste

Directions

Preheat oven to 425°F. Lightly spray ramekin with cooking spray. Place protein, veggies and/or cheese around the edges of the ramekin. Creating a small well in the center of the ingredients. Crack 1 egg into the well. Season eggs with salt, pepper or seasonings. Bake for 10 minutes for a running yolk; 12 minutes to set the yolk. Ovens vary so adjust time to cook eggs to your liking. Garnish and serve immediately.

Variations:

Bacon Swiss Tomato Baked Eggs
Caprese Baked Eggs
Denver Baked Eggs
English Baked Eggs
Migas Baked Eggs
Mushroom Baked Eggs
Spinach and Artichoke Baked Eggs
Zucchini Baked Eggs

*Instructions and photos for all variations below.

Bacon Swiss Tomato Baked Eggs

10 or 12 grape tomatoes, halved

1 large egg

1 slice of Swiss cheese, chopped

1 slice pre-cooked bacon, chopped

Kosher salt, black pepper and red pepper flakes, to taste

Caprese Baked Eggs

10 or 12 grape tomatoes, halved

1 large egg

1 oz. fresh Mozzarella cheese or 3 Ciliegine balls, chopped

2 or 3 basil leaves, torn

Kosher salt, black pepper and red pepper flakes, to taste

Denver Baked Eggs

2 slices deli ham, chopped

2 Tbsp. onion, chopped

2 Tbsp. bell pepper (yellow, red or green), chopped

1 large egg

1 oz. cheddar cheese, shredded

Kosher salt and black pepper, to taste

English Baked Eggs

1 or 2 links pre-cooked breakfast sausage, chopped

1 small tomato, chopped

3 or 4 mushrooms, Quartered

1 large egg

Kosher salt and seasoned pepper, to taste

*Add a side of beans for a full English Breakfast.

Migas Baked Eggs

Handful of tortilla chips, crushed

1 large egg

2 Tbsp. salsa (green or red)

1 oz. cheddar or Mexican blend cheese, shredded

Sazon seasoning, to taste

Mushrooms Baked Eggs

5 or 6 mushrooms, sliced

1 large egg

Garlic powder, to taste

Dried thyme, to taste

Kosher salt, black pepper and red pepper flakes, to taste

Spinach and Artichoke Baked Eggs

4 to 5 oz. frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed dry

2 canned artichokes, quartered

1 large egg

approx. 1 oz. Italian blend or fresh Mozzarella or Parmesan cheese

Kosher salt, black pepper and red pepper flakes, to taste

Zucchini Baked Eggs

1 tsp. olive oil

1 clove garlic, sliced

1/2 zucchini, chopped*

1 roasted red pepper from a jar, torn

1 large egg

Kosher salt, black pepper and red pepper flakes, to taste

*Coat ramekin and zucchini with olive oil before adding egg.

So that is 8 ways to enjoy baked eggs!

But I am sure there are so many more ways 

to make this simple and easy dish.

Linking to:

Stone Cottage Adventures: Tuesdays with a Twist Link Party