Dinner at Ren’s: Ginger Miso Ramen with Pan Fried Duck
I have a ramen a week, I’d say.
My friends and I are obsessed with the chewy noodles in between slurps of warming ginger miso broth, then holding the steaming bowl up to our face and sipping the final dregs of flavour. It’s just one of the world’s most comforting dishes.
The other week I used some duck breast portions we had in the freezer. Absolutely obsessed with it, we didn’t want to change a single thing, only have more of it.
During the next grocery shop, we realised a whole duck was on offer at the end of the aisle for a couple of quid more than duck breast portions. I gave my friends an ‘I can do that’ face, and said I’d be happy to butcher it, freeze the meat in portions and make a stock out of the carcass and unusable bits. See how that experience went here:
I do want to say, I am just an English girl who adores culture and cuisine from around the globe. My recipe/method is made up of techniques, ingredients and flavours I have picked up along the way being a big fat foodie, so please don’t take my ramen recipe as traditional. It’s all love.
So, whether you butcher your own duck or buy some pre-portioned, here’s how to make the most impressive duck ramen dish.
Serves 4. Give yourself an hour to hang in the kitchen with this one.
For the broth:
8 garlic cloves
A bunch of spring onions (deep green ends and white kept whole, mid lengths sliced finely to simmer in broth and add as toppings)
3" x 2” peeled fresh ginger (sliced to help it along in the blender)
2 tablespoons neutral oil
Approx. 2 tablespoons cold water (creates more of a paste that blends easier)
2 heaped teaspoons of white miso paste
1.5 litres duck or chicken stock (I’d love if you made this from your Sunday roast carcass each week please!)
Place a large pot on the hob and bring to a medium heat
Blend garlic, spring onions whites and deep green ends, ginger, oil and water until they’re minced, leaving it slightly chunky, I like the texture in the broth.
Add the paste to the pot and fry for 5 minutes, stirring regularly. You’ll start to smell those delicious aromatics caramelising.
Add the miso to the pan and continue to stir, cooking off for another few minutes.
Once this is sizzling and caramelised, add the stock and the lid, and leave to bubble gently as you make up the other elements of the dish.
For the ramen additions:
250g dry wheat udon noodles
4 duck breasts
4 eggs
100ml soy sauce (to soak eggs, you won’t consume all of this!)
1 tbsp fish sauce
200g tenderstem broccoli
125g asparagus tips
I like to pre-boil my eggs so that they’re peeled and ready to go.
Either reheat when you’re in the last 5 minutes of cooking by pouring boiling water over them to get them back up to temp before halving and serving.
Or stain them with soy sauce for at least 30 minutes before halving and serving.
If you’re using duck legs:
I’d seen a recipe cooking them in the air fryer. This started off great, the skin was sizzling and crisping, looking and smelling delicious. But the fat bubbling up onto the heating element caused the air fryer to produce a lot of smoke.
I stopped the air fryer and decided to slice the meat off the bone and finish it off in a pan to crisp up. When I do this again I will cook the duck legs in the oven.
If you’re using duck breasts:
Think about preparing the duck about 20 minutes before you want to eat.
Dry the duck skin with a paper towel and rub generously with sea salt.
Lay the breasts skin side down in a cold pan and turn up to a medium/high heat.
As the duck gradually heats with the pan, the fat will render. Remove this fat from the pan and set aside as the duck cooks.
Check the skin underneath is crispy and golden, probably about 8 minutes in.
Flip to the other sides and seal for another 5-7 minutes, we want the inside to stay blushed.
Remove from the heat and leave to rest, skin side up, for 5-10 minutes before slicing and serving.
I keep the duck fat and use it in my chilli oil for extra flavour - can you see where I’m going with no wastage? It all has an upside, whether its more flavour, more nutrition and reducing wastage.
Finishing touches:
Add the middle lengths of the spring onions into the broth at the end to soften.
Flavour the broth to taste with soy and/or fish sauce for umami and zing.
Steam or fry your green veg and cook and strain the udon noodles (follow the package instructions) ready for plating
Serve up!
Noodles first in the bowl, ladle the broth over. Slice your warm eggs in half, they should be nice and gooey. Place the eggs, duck and vegetables on top, alongside your choice of toppings.
I always add my homemade chilli oil, an extra sprinkling of sesame seeds. With my duck leg ramen I crisped up the skin in the pan and chopped it up into a rough crumble - crunchy little pockets of richness.
On another I fried sliced mushrooms in knob of miso and a splash of shoaxing wine as an extra topping.
