RECIPE: Ramen Soup Stock

There's three tiers of ramen in my book: dirt cheap college-grade instant ramen, legitimate instant ramen that sells for about $2 a pop (like Shin Ramyun) and restaurant or homemade ramen, which is essentially just noodle soup.  I admittedly usually keep a stock of Shin Ramyun in my cabinets if I need a quick meal and I always have some vegetables on hand to top a bowl off with a poached egg.  Not ideal, but at least it's a complete meal.

Every now and then I want to make some really good ramen from scratch, so I'll pick up some pork bones from the market.  Add some ginger, onion and umami, and you got a pretty awesome base for a great noodle soup.

• 2-3lbs pork bones (neck, whatever...)
• 1 onion, halved
• 1 inch piece of ginger, smashed
• 2 sheets dry kombu
• salt and pepper

Place bones in a stock pot and fill with water to cover one inch above them.  Bring to boil, then lower heat to simmer for five minutes.  Drain pot, rinse bones and then refill with water 3/4 high up the pot.  Add onion and ginger.  Bring to boil, then lower heat to simmer for four hours, covered.  Continue adding water to maintain 3/4 depth.

Rinse kombu under faucet and then add to pot.  Simmer another 45 minutes and then remove kombu and ginger.  Season with salt and pepper, but not too aggressively.

Remove bones and save if you'd like to use the scrap meat.  Strain remaining stock and there ya have it!  Store in refrigerator for up to a week or freeze for months.  When serving, add soy sauce and/or miso paste to taste.