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Miso Tahini Ramen with Seared Duck Breast

This Miso Tahini Ramen features chewy homemade noodles swimming in a rich miso tahini soup topped with meaty slices of duck, steamed yu choy, braised shiitakes and a runny marinated egg.
Prep Time 2 hours
Cook Time 3 hours
Marinating/Chilling/Resting Time 4 hours
Course Main Course
Servings 4

Equipment

  • Pasta Roller

Ingredients
  

Miso Tahini Tare

  • 2 tbsp neutral oil I used canola
  • 2 shallots halved and sliced
  • 1 knob ginger cut into matchsticks
  • 2 scallions white part only, coarsely chopped
  • 1 cup water
  • ½ cup soy sauce
  • ½ cup mirin
  • ¼ cup sake
  • ¼ cup white miso paste
  • 1 tbsp granulated sugar
  • 2 tbsp tahini

Ramen Egg

  • 4 large eggs
  • ¼ cup soy sauce
  • ¼ cup mirin
  • 2 tbsp sake

Chicken Stock

  • 2 tbsp neutral oil I used canola oil
  • 3 yellow onions halved and sliced
  • ½ cup sake
  • 9-10 chicken backs or whole chicken wings
  • 3 cloves garlic smashed
  • 1 (2-inch) knob ginger sliced
  • 12 cups water
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 1 tbsp green peppercorns
  • 3 anise pods
  • 1 tbsp salt

Ramen Noodles **

  • ¾ cup water
  • 1 ½ tsp baked baking soda*
  • ½ tsp salt
  • 3 ¼ cups bread flour
  • 1 tsp vital wheat gluten

Toppings

  • 1 duck breast
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp five spice powder
  • 200g (7oz) shiitake mushrooms stems removed, sliced
  • 1 (200 ml, 6.7 fl oz) can bamboo shoots drained
  • ¼ cup soy sauce
  • ¼ cup mirin
  • 2 tbsp sugar
  • 1 ear corn kernel cut from the cob
  • 250g (9oz) yu choy washed
  • 2 scallions green parts only, thinly sliced
  • 3 squash blossoms (optional) thinly sliced
  • sesame seeds for sprinkling

Instructions
 

For the Tare

  • Pour the oil into a skillet and place over medium heat. Once the oil is shimmering, add the shallots, ginger, and scallions. Sauté until the veg starts to caramelize, then pour in the water and bring up to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and let cook for 15 minutes.
  • Once the 15 minutes have passed, whisk in the soy sauce, mirin, sake, sugar, and miso. Bring the mixture up to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook until reduced to 1 cup. About 15 minutes. Take the sauce off of the heat and whisk in the tahini, and salt. The sauce will taste very salty, but don't worry it will be diluted by the soup.
  • Transfer the tare to a heatproof jar and let cool on the counter until it reaches room temperature. Place a lid on the jar and transfer it to the fridge. Tare will keep in the fridge for up to 3 months.

For the Eggs

  • Bring a small saucepan of water to a boil. Lower the eggs into the water, making sure they are covered by at least 1-inch of water. Reduce to heat to a gentle simmer and let cook for 7 minutes before extracting the eggs and plunging them into an ice bath. Leave the eggs to cool in the bath for a minimum of 10 minutes.
  • Gently peel the eggs and place them in a small resealable container. In a small bowl, whisk to combine the soy sauce and mirin and pour the mixture over the eggs. Seal the container and transfer it to the fridge. Marinate the eggs for a minimum of 4 hours, turning the eggs in the marinate once halfway through.

For the Stock

  • Pour the oil into a large stockpot and place over medium heat. Once the oil is shimmering, add the onions and a pinch of salt. Reduce the heat to low. Cover and cook for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
  • Deglaze the pot with the sake and add the chicken parts, garlic, and ginger. Pour in the water and add the bay leaves, star anise pods, peppercorns, and salt. Bring the stock up to a boil and reduce to a simmer. Cover and let cook for 2 hours.
  • Once the 2 hours have passed, strain the stock, and pour it into large jars. Let cool on the counter before sealing and transferring to the fridge. Simply reheat when you're ready for ramen.

For the Noodles

  • Stir the baked baking soda into the water and set aside for 1 minute. Add the salt to the water and stir until dissolved completely.
  • Place the bread flour and vital wheat gluten into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Stir on low speed for 2 minutes to ensure the vital wheat gluten is evenly distributed throughout the flour.
  • Add a ¼ cup of water mixture to the flour mixture and turn the mixer up to medium. Stir until the water is completely integrated then add another 1/4 cup. Once you've integrated all of the water. Form the dough into a rough ball. It should be pebbly in appearance and not smooth at all, so don't panic. Cover the mixing bowl with a damp cloth and let the dough sit for 30 minutes.
  • Once 30 minutes has passed, transfer the dough to the counter and knead for 7-10 minutes or until satiny. Divide the dough into four and cover once again with a wet cloth.
  • Working with one piece of dough at a time, roll the dough out slightly before passing it through a pasta roller. Roll the dough out to setting number 3 or 4 depending on how thick you want your noodles. From here you can pass the noodle sheets through a spaghetti cutter or you can fold the sheet, like a letter, and cut the noodles by hand using a sharp knife.
  • Once the noodles are cut toss them in flour and tease them apart with your fingers. Coil the noodles into nests and place them on a tray lined with parchment paper. Store the noodles covered in the fridge until ready to cook.

For the Toppings

  • Score the fat of the duck breast in a cross-hatch pattern with a sharp knife. In a small bowl whisk to combine the salt and five-spice powder. Work the spice mix into the duck breast and set aside to dry brine for 1 hour at room temperature.
  • While the duck is resting, place the bamboo shoots and shiitakes in a skillet. Add the soy sauce, mirin, and sugar and stir to combine. Bring the mixture to a boil and reduce to a simmer. Place a cover on the skillet and let cook for 15 minutes. Transfer the mushrooms and bamboo shoots to a bowl and set aside.
  • Wipe out the skillet and place the duck, skin-side-down, in the center. Place over low heat and cook for 10 minutes undisturbed. Once the 10 minutes have passed, carefully pour off all but 2 tbsp of the duck fat. Flip the breast and cook for 10 minutes more. Transfer the duck to a cutting board and let rest for 10 minutes before slicing. Cook the corn in the same pan the duck was cooked in until tender. Transfer to a bowl and set aside.
  • Pour the stock in a large pot and place over medium heat. While reheating the stock, place a pot of water over high heat and place a steaming basket on top. Add the yu choy to the basket and bring the water to a boil.
  • Once the water is boiling and yu choy is tender, remove the steaming basket and set aside. Add a bundle of noodles to the water and cook until tender, about 3 minutes. Drain the noodles well. For the sake of portioning the noodles correctly, I recommend cooking the noodles a bundle at a time. To save the boiling water, simply fish the noodles out of the water using a spider or large slotted spoon before transferring to a fine mesh strainer to shake out any excess moisture.
  • To assemble the bowl, pour 2-3 tablespoons of the tare into the bottom of a large bowl. Add a bundle of cooked noodles and ladle hot stock over top. Top the soup bowl with 3-4 slices of duck, half a ramen egg, a few pieces of steamed yu choy, a generous spoonful of braised bamboo shoots and shiitakes, a spoonful of corn, and a sprinkling of scallions, squash blossoms, and sesame seeds. Serve immediately with cold beer.

Notes

** The Ramen Noodle recipe is adapted from Serious Eats
* Steps on how to make baked soda can be found here.
Keyword duck, miso, noodles, ramen, tahini