Homemade mushroom ramen with a German pinot noir

In a bowl of ramen, everything hangs on the broth. This one, made with dried shiitake, kombu, charred onion and soy sauce, simmers gently for two hours and builds a depth to rival anything served at a Japanese ramen bar.

Everything else comes together while the broth cooks. The eggs marinate overnight, and the fresh mushrooms are fried at the last minute.

Ingredients for 4

Prep 30 min · Cook 2 hrs · Intermediate

• 30g dried shiitake mushrooms
• 10cm piece of kombu
• 1 onion
• 4 garlic cloves
• 1 piece of ginger
• 100ml soy sauce
• 2 tbsp mirin
• 300g fresh mushrooms (oyster, shiitake)
• 4 eggs
• 400g ramen noodles
• Spring onions
• Sesame oil, sesame seeds

Method

1. The day before, cook the eggs in boiling water for 6 minutes 30 seconds, then peel them. Leave them to marinate in the fridge in an equal mix of soy sauce, mirin and water.
2. On the day, halve the onion. Place it cut side down in a very hot, dry frying pan and leave until the cut faces are blackened.
3. Put the onion in a large saucepan with 2 litres of cold water, the dried shiitake, kombu, garlic and ginger. Bring slowly to a simmer, then leave it to bubble gently for 2 hours without ever letting it boil, or the kombu will turn bitter.
4. Strain the broth and season it with soy sauce and mirin.
5. Fry the fresh mushrooms over a high heat until nicely browned. Cook the noodles.
6. Divide the noodles between bowls and pour over the piping hot broth. Add the mushrooms, the halved eggs and the sliced spring onions. Finish with a few drops of sesame oil and a pinch of sesame seeds.

The wine: a German pinot noir

Sake or beer may be the first things that spring to mind. Try a light red instead, served cool. Spätburgunder, the German name for pinot noir, has all the finesse and acidity needed for a salty, umami-rich broth, where a fuller-bodied red would feel heavy.

• The Spätburgunder 2021 from Weingut Hanewald-Schwerdt: a pinot noir from the Pfalz, all very ripe red fruit, with a balanced, fragrant palate on which the oak still shows. Serve it at 14°C.
• A23's Riesling Trocken: a dry riesling from the Pfalz, if you would rather have a white. Strikingly mineral, with a richness kept in check by its tension, it balances the fattiness of the marinated egg.

German wine is going through a difficult patch on export markets, as we analysed recently: all the more reason to take an interest. For another recipe that plays on umami, try our sea bream ceviche with mango.

Riesling is not only German: in Alsace, it expresses a mosaic of terroirs that invites comparison.