Miso egg drop soup

There’s something beautiful about the eggs in this dish. I love their silkiness, their pale yellow feathering in the fragrant miso broth. When I pour the eggs into the pot – the last ingredient before some fresh green onions – I pause to watch them fold like paper-thin ribbons. As I stir, the egg unfurls to fill the pot, joining thin slices of mushroom and cubes of tofu. Fresh cracked pepper gives a bite to the smooth and savory flavor. 

Miso Egg Drop Soup
1.5 quarts water
1/4 lb soft tofu, cubed or sliced
1 portobello mushroom, thinly sliced
2 eggs, scrambled
2 tbsp miso paste
2 chicken bouillon cubes
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 tbsp low sodium soy sauce
3-5 tbsp cornstarch (more cornstarch = thicker soup)
2 green onions, thinly sliced
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper


Combine water, miso, soy sauce, garlic, salt, and pepper in a saucepan and bring to a boil.

Reduce to a simmer and add mushrooms. Simmer for 5 minutes.

Mix cornstarch with a small amount of water until dissolved. Pour a small amount of the corn starch mixture into your soup and check its consistency. Add more to thicken the soup if desired.

Add tofu.

Scramble eggs in a small bowl and pour slowly into the simmering soup. Pour the eggs in a spiral shape to ensure they cook evenly. Do not stir for about 30 seconds to let the eggs set, then gently stir the soup and allow the eggs to feather.

Add green onions and more salt and pepper to taste.

RAMEN.

Soup is the best. Specifically, ramen is the best. There's not much better than a huge bowl of steaming broth and all your favorite fixins. This recipe is a fresh and simple version of what can often be a day-long process. Though it's true that you'll get superb results by making your own broth from scratch, we thought you'd appreciate a time-saver for those late-night ramen emergencies. You're welcome.

Ramen Broth

• 3 quarts water
• 1 sheet nori
• 5 grams bonito flakes 
• 4 tbsp miso
• 2 tbsp lite soy sauce
• 2 chicken bouillon cubes
• 3 tbsp minced garlic
• 1 tsp salt
• Pepper to taste

Combine ingredients in a large saucepan and bring to a boil.

Simmer for 20-30 minutes to allow flavors to develop.

Remove bonito flakes, garlic, and nori by pouring through a wire strainer. Reserve broth.

Add pepper to taste.

Combine with noodles, fresh veggies, and chicken or pork (or beef, or fish...) and celebrate your status as the ruler of the soup.

Fixins - use as much or as little as you want!

• Ramen (wheat flour) noodles
• Carrots
• Cucumber
• Bean sprouts
• Hard boiled egg
• Oyster mushrooms
• Bamboo
• Panko fried chicken (egg, rice flour, panko)
• Pork belly (salt, black peppercorns, garlic cloves, and bay leaves)
• Green onions

The most important thing to remember here is thin slices. If your vegetables are sliced thinly enough, a nice steamy broth will soften them nicely. If the vegetables are too thick you're going to have a delicious-yet-crunchy soup. 

Your egg can be soft boiled, hard boiled, or anything in between. For a soft boiled egg, bring eggs and water to a boil and continue to boil for five minutes. For a hard boiled egg, make it seven minutes. Remember to start timing once the eggs and water begin to boil, not when the eggs go in. 

To cook pork bellies:

Boil 1 lb of pork bellies with 2 tbsp salt, 2 tbsp black peppercorns, 4 garlic cloves, and 2 bay leaves. Simmer for 15 - 20 minutes, depending on thickness. When ready to serve, deep fry or pan fry in oil until sides are heavily browned.

To cook chicken: 

Pound chicken breasts with a meat tenderizer until 1/2 inch thick. Coat both sides evenly with rice flour and dip the breast in raw scrambled eggs. Bread with panko, sprinkle salt and pepper. Deep fry at 375° until golden brown (about three minutes). Slice on a bias and soup it up.

Ramen. Amen!

Sunday breakfast: Bacon, eggs, and rice

Say hello to tomorrow's breakfast! 

Switch up your toast with some white rice! Bonus: throw one chicken bouillon cube in per 1 cup of rice for extra deliciousness.

This is quick and customizable, and you can put your favorite hot sauce all over it. What more could you want?

Arroz Caldo

I wake up on a cold morning in October. It's my day off. I can hear my wife getting ready to go to work. Cars driving by the apartment window. It's wet out. I can hear it; the way the tires sound driving on wet asphalt is a very distinct one. On days like this I look for simple, hearty meals that bring comfort with every bite. I open my eyes and ask if its raining. My wife says yes, and it's game on! 

Arroz caldo is a Filipino dish that my Mom used to cook when I was growing up. It is definitely a dish to be served on cold fall and winter days. It's also my go-to for when someone is feeling a little under the weather. Let's get to it. 

The Hardware:

• Cutting board 
• Knife
• Vegetable peeler
• Stirring spoon 
• 2 quart pot

The Ingredients:

• Peanut oil or vegetable oil 
• 4-6 cloves of crushed garlic, or 2 tbsp minced garlic
• 1 knob / 1 in. ginger root
• 1 medium onion
• 2 chicken legs or breast.  Either is fine, I used both! (Bonus: Soak the chicken for several hours or overnight in salty water before use for the most tender thang you ever put in your mouth.)
• 1 1/2  cups of medium grain rice
• Approx. 2 tbsp fish sauce
• 4 cups water
• 1 chicken bullion cube
• Salt and pepper
• Green onions

As a rule, start any cooking adventure by taking time to put together your mise en place. If you don't know, mise en place is a stuffy french term for "Git yo' shit together." Doing this before you cook will save you time, and those "Dammit I forgot something!" trips to the grocery store. Here's mine:

-Chicken, green onion, fish sauce, ginger, garlic, chicken bouillon, pepper, medium grain rice, yellow onion-

STEP ONE

• Dice chicken breasts and/or cut slits into drumsticks. The bones in the drumstick add a lot of extra flavor that a bouillon cube can't give you.
• Cut off a one inch knob of ginger, peel it and mince it. 
• Give your onion a rough chop. Uniformity is not important...unless you have someone to impress.         

STEP TWO

• Coat the bottom of your pot with oil and turn to medium-high heat.
• Smash garlic cloves and add them to the oil as it heats up.
• When your garlic starts to brown, add the chicken.
• Salt and peppa!
• Brown the chicken for a couple minutes per side, then add onions and ginger.

STEP THREE

When adding the fish sauce, I like to add it slowly, holding my
nose above the pot in order to smell the change in flavor.

• Add rice, fish sauce and water and bouillon cube. 
• Simmer until the rice becomes tender - about 15 minutes.

  As far as cooking goes, you're already done! Before feeding it to loved ones, make sure you double check that your chicken is thoroughly cooked. Survey the fruits of your labor. It doesn't look like a spectacular dish at this moment, but we'll get there.                                    

The most basic way to consume this dish is with green onions. Take note of the foreshadowing bottle of Sriracha in the background. I'im getting there guys.

-This is what I would call "vanilla." My wife is white and she doesn't even eat it this tame-If you're like me, green onions this is not enough to satisfy! Bring on the Sriracha, hard boiled egg, and crushed pork rinds!

-Smothered and covered. Aw yeah, baby.-


Lastly, you're going to want someone feeling full and appreciative to help you clean. Ain't it good to be the cook? 

-Fin-

Have fun guys. Thanks, Mom!

- Kevin