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China, Asia · Hot and Sour Soup

Sanratanmen (Japanese Hot and Sour Ramen)

A Japanese ramen-shop favourite: thick, soy-based hot and sour soup poured generously over springy ramen noodles and finished with chilli oil.

ServingsServes 2
Total cooking time28 min
DifficultyMedium

Method

  1. Fill a large 22 cm pot generously with water for the noodles and bring it to the boil on high heat, about . No salt needed. Prepare the other ingredients while you wait.

    high heat

  2. Cut the pork belly into 4 cm pieces and thinly slice the shiitake caps, discarding the stems. Cut the tofu into 1 cm thick batons and slice the spring onions. Mix the starch and water into a slurry and beat the eggs.

  3. Heat the oil in a 20 cm pot on medium-high heat and stir-fry the pork belly for , until it turns white and releases a little fat. Add the ginger and stir for about 20 seconds more, until fragrant.

    Add in this stepNeutral oil 2 tspThinly sliced pork belly 120 gGrated ginger 1½ tsp

    medium-high heat

  4. Add the stock, soy sauce, mirin and shiitake and bring to the boil on high heat, about . Skim off any foam, add the tofu, then turn down to medium heat and simmer for .

    Add in this stepChicken stock 800 mlSoy sauce 2½ tbspMirin 4 tspFresh shiitake mushrooms 4Firm tofu 120 g

    high heat→medium heat

  5. Stir the slurry again and pour it in a thin stream while stirring the soup in one direction, then cook on medium heat for until thickened. Turn down to low heat, drizzle in the egg in a thin stream, wait 10 seconds and stir gently into ribbons. Leave the soup there to keep warm.

    Add in this stepCornstarch or potato starch 2 tbspWater (for the slurry) 4 tbspEggs 2

    medium heat→low heat

  6. Shake the noodles into the boiling water, loosening them with chopsticks, and cook on high heat for (follow the packet if it says otherwise). Meanwhile, warm the bowls with hot water. Drain the noodles in a sieve and shake hard to get rid of all the water; any left behind dilutes the soup.

    Add in this stepFresh ramen noodles 260 g

    high heat

  7. Turn off the heat under the soup, stir in the rice vinegar, white pepper and sesame oil, and taste. Empty the warmed bowls, add the noodles, ladle the soup generously over the top, drizzle with chilli oil and scatter with spring onions. Eat straight away, before the noodles go soft.

    Add in this stepRice vinegar 3 tbspGround white pepper ½ tspToasted sesame oil 1 tspJapanese chilli oil (rayu) 2 tspSpring onions 2

Cook's tip

Japanese sanratanmen uses clear rice vinegar instead of Chinese black vinegar, so it tastes bright and tangy; for more depth, swap a third of the vinegar for black vinegar. Dried or frozen ramen noodles work too: cook them 30 seconds less than the packet says, as they keep cooking in the hot soup.

Cooking it at camp

With two burners, run the noodle pot and the soup pot at the same time; with one, finish the soup first, keep it covered, cook the noodles, then reheat the soup for 30 seconds. Dispose of the noodle water according to the campsite's rules and cook the pork straight from the cooler.