Japanese Soy (Shoyu) Soup Base

2 clove finely chopped garlic
1 tsp finely chopped fresh ginger
2 tsp sesame oil
4 cup chicken soup stock, shitake stock (see below), or vegetable stock
2 cup kombudashi soup stock (see below)
2 Tbsp sake
2 tsp sugar
6 tbsp soy sauce
juice of lemon, kumquats, or yuzu juice

Heat sesame oil in a deep pan. Sauté chopped ginger and garlic in the pan. Lower the heat. Add chicken soup stock and kombudashi soup stock in the pan and bring to a boil. Add sugar, salt, sake, and soy sauce in the soup. Run the soup through a strainer. Serve hot soup into individual bowls. In the meantime, boil water in a large pan. Add ramen, soba, or udon noodles in the boiling water and cook for a few minutes. Drain the noodles and serve in the hot soup. Place toppings, such as chicken, beef, scallions, boiled egg, leeks, spinach, carrots, mushroom, nori seaweed.

*Makes 4 servings

KombuDashi Stock

4 cups of water
8 inch by 2 inch kombu (dried kelp)

Wipe the kombu with clean cloth. (*Kombu shouldn’t be washed.) Put water in a deep pot and soak the kombu for about 30 minutes. Put on low heat. Just before the water comes to a boil, remove the kombu. Stop the heat.
*Makes 4 cups

Shitaake Soup Base 

Dried shitaake mushrooms
2 cups of water

Combine dried shitaakes with water in a pot and bring to a boil.  Let it sit for at least 30 minutes. 

Miso Soup Base

When you add noodles to it, it becomes miso ramen/miso soba/miso udon/whichever kind of noodle you’ve added.

1/4 Tbsp dashi granules
1 to 2 Tbsp(s)  white (shiro) miso*
1 1/2 cups water

*The amount of miso will need to be adjusted upwards or downwards depending on the brand of miso you buy and whether it’s aka (red – saltier) or shiro (white – less salty) miso. Start with 1 Tbsp and taste test; then add more if you like.

Purchase items in BOLD in-store at Surfas or online at Culinary District! 

Serves 4

Soup Base:
2 whole star anise
2 quarts chicken stock (store bought or homemade)
1 whole roasted chicken (store bought is okay)
1/2 onion
1 small carrot, peeled and chopped
1 celery stalk, chopped
1 lemongrass stalk, smashed and tied into a knot
1-2 tablespoons sugar
1-2 tablespoons fish sauce 

Noodles:
1 lb Pho rice noodles

Accompaniments:
Fresh bean sprouts
Onion, thinly sliced, or thinly sliced scallions
Thai basil or cilantro
Lime wedges
Fresh bird chilies
Hoisin sauce
Sriracha

• Soak noodles in hot water until soft.
• Remove and shred chicken meat from the roasted chicken, reserving the bones.
• In a large pot brown onion, carrots, and celery. Add chicken bones, star anise, chicken stock, lemongrass and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, add fish sauce and sugar and let simmer for 20 minutes, skimming the surface frequently. Taste broth and add more fish sauce or sugar if necessary. Strain the broth and discard solids.
• Arrange bowls with drained noodles.  Ladle the broth into bowls. Divide the shredded chicken evenly into each bowl. Top with bean sprouts, fresh herbs, onion or scallions, and other accompaniments, OR artfully arrange a table salad with sprouts, fresh herbs, lime wedges, fresh chilies, and small dipping dishes of hoisin and sriracha sauce, for your guests to add to their Pho.  Enjoy!

Purchase items in BOLD in-store at Surfas or online at Culinary District!