New Japanese Restaurant Opens in Carmel
The popularity of Ramen is rising across the U.S., and Jessmin Lau, Corporate Culinary Director, Kizuki Ramen & Izakaya has stopped by to talk about this hot new Ramen restaurant, and show us a classic Ramen recipe. The philosophy at Kizuki Ramen & Izakaya is to serve the most traditional, authentic and delicious Japanese ramen that you can possibly experience outside of Japan. Chefs at Kizuki Ramen & Izakaya meticulously prepare their ingredients and every dish served is made to order and customized with your choice of 15 different toppings. Their unique cooking process involves roasting the bones to perfection to give the broth a deep, complex and rich texture. The intense preparation of their housemade broth takes up to 20 hours.
Kizuki Ramen & Izakaya is located in Carmel at Cool Creek Commons – 2450 East 146th StreetVisit their website at: www.kizuki.com or find them on Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/KizukiCarmel/Tonkotsu Ramen
Ingredients:
5 lbs chicken bones
5 lbs pork leg bones
2.5 lbs pig feet
2 inch knob ginger, peeled and sliced
5 to 8 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed
1 bunch green onion, ends trimmed and sliced into thirds
1 Tbs whole white peppercorns
Directions: Roast the bones at 350F for about 2 hours, making sure to flip them every 30 minutes to prevent burning. Put the roasted bones, raw pig feet and other ingredients into a big pot and cook at a rolling boil for about 10-12 hours until the soup turns creamy white.
Base Sauce
Ingredients:
2 Tbs soy sauce
sea salt, to taste (about 1 tsp)
1 tsp mirin
2 tsp ground sesame seeds
1 tsp sugar
1 or 2 shakes white pepper
Directions: Blend/mix this all together in a bowl.
Pork
Ingredients:
1 log pork shoulder (size up to your preference)
4 cups water
2 cups soy sauce
1/2 cup mirin
1/2 cup sake
1 cup sugar
2 inch knob ginger, thinly sliced
5 cloves garlic, smashed
Directions: Tie the pork shoulder into a round log with cooking twine. Sear evenly and roast at 350F for about 2-2.5 hours until internal temperature reaches 155F. Put the other ingredients into a pot and bring to a boil. Remove and marinate overnight with the sauce. Slice and reserve for topping the ramen.
Garlic Oil
Ingredients:
1 cup cooking oil
10 cloves thinly sliced garlic
Directions: Fry the thinly sliced garlic in the cooking oil until it turns very dark brown, almost black. Strain it and grind it up finely into garlic bits. Add it back to the oil used to fry it and reserve for topping the ramen.
Other Ramen Toppings (optional, based on preference):
beansprouts – washed and blanched
green onions – sliced finely
bamboo shoots
ramen noodles
To Assemble:
Heat up a bowl of the soup. Put the sauce into a bowl. Cook the ramen noodles according to instructions on the package. Ladle the hot soup into the bowl with the base sauce. Add the cooked noodles into the soup. Top with suggested toppings above according to your own preference. Drizzle about 2 tsp of the garlic oil on top.
Recipe for Pork Bun (2nd segment)
Ingredients:
1 slab pork belly (size up to your preference)
4 cups water
2 cups soy sauce
1/2 cup mirin
1/2 cup sake
1 cup sugar
2 inch knob ginger, thinly sliced
5 cloves garlic, smash
Directions: Tie the pork belly into a round log with cooking twine. Sear evenly and simmer on low heat with the other ingredients for 4-5 hours until meat is tender. When the pork is cooked, remove from sauce and chill. Slice the meat when it’s chilled.
Other toppings and sauces:
Cucumber slices
Scallions
Japanese mayonnaise
Japanese mustard
Hoisin Sauce
Frozen bun
To assemble:
Steam the bun until it’s soft and fluffy. Sandwich the meat with the bun and top with desired amounts of toppings and sauces.