Clear Salt Ramen with Poached Chicken Thigh

What you need

• 10 g (1/3 oz) kombu, a piece about 10 x 10 cm
• 10 g (1/3 oz) bonito flakes
• 500 ml (2 cups) water, for the dashi
• 600 ml (2 1/2 cups) unsalted chicken stock
• 2 boneless chicken thighs, skin on, about 300 g (10 oz) total
• 2 tbsp sake
• 1 tbsp mirin
• 2 tsp fine sea salt, plus more to taste
• 4 scallions
• 2 tbsp neutral oil
• 1 tsp toasted sesame oil
• 260 g (9 oz) fresh ramen noodles, or 180 g (6 oz) dried
• 2 soft-boiled eggs, halved
• 40 g (1 1/2 oz) menma, seasoned bamboo shoots
• 2 sheets nori, small squares

Method

Restated from the original video

1. 1

   Soak the kombu in the water in a medium pot for 15 min.

2. 2

   Heat the pot slowly over medium-low heat. Lift out the kombu just before the water boils, 8-10 min.

3. 3

   Bring to a boil, add the bonito flakes and turn off the heat. Let them sink, 2 min, then strain through a fine sieve. This is the dashi.

4. 4

   Put the stock in a saucepan, add the thighs and bring to a bare simmer.

5. 5

   Poach the chicken gently until it reaches 74 °C (165 °F) inside, 15-18 min. Lift it out and rest it on a board.

6. 6

   Pour the dashi into the saucepan with the stock and keep it hot over low heat.

7. 7

   For the tare, warm the sake and mirin in a small pan for 1 min, then stir in the salt until dissolved.

8. 8

   Cut the white parts of the scallions into 5 cm lengths and thinly slice the greens.

9. 9

   Fry the scallion whites in the neutral oil over low heat until golden at the edges, 6-8 min. Strain, discard the whites and stir the sesame oil into the oil.

10. 10

    Slice the chicken about 5 mm thick.

11. 11

    Bring a large pot of unsalted water to a boil and cook the noodles as the packet directs, usually 2-3 min fresh.

12. 12

    While the noodles cook, divide the tare between two deep bowls and add 1 tsp of the scallion oil to each.

13. 13

    Ladle the hot broth into the bowls and stir. Taste and add a pinch more salt if it seems flat.

14. 14

    Drain the noodles well, shaking off the water, and lay them in the broth.

15. 15

    Top with the chicken, eggs, menma, nori and scallion greens and serve at once.

Imported from oishibook.com. Recipe Grab pulled out what you need to cook it; the video stays where its author put it.