The Best Ramen, But Untraditional (3 ways)

Birria Ramen 

Broth:

1. Heat a 7-8 qt pot over medium-high heat. Add enough oil to coat the bottom of the pan.
2. While the oil heats, season the meat generously on all sides with salt and pepper.
3. In batches, sear the meat on all sides until deeply golden brown all over, about 2 - 3 minutes per side. Remove the seared meat to a sheet pan and continue searing all the meat. When finished, remove the pan from heat to cool slightly.
4. In a 4 x 4" piece of cheesecloth add the cinnamon, bay leaves, peppercorn, coriander, and bonito flakes. Wrap the cheesecloth around the ingredients and secure tightly with kitchen twine.
5. To the same pot, over medium heat, add enough oil to coat the bottom of the pan. Add the tomato paste and cook for 1 minute or until lightly toasted.
6. Add the green onion, garlic, ginger, sachet, and seared beef. Pour the stock over the top and stir to evenly combine.
7. Bring the stock to a boil over medium-high and then immediately reduce to a simmer. Stir in the chilies, cover with a lid or a parchment round (cartouche) and simmer for 3 hours.
8. After 3 hours, remove all of the beef to a bowl and let cool.
9. Remove the chilies to a blender and add 2 cups (480ml) broth and the miso. Blend until smooth.
10. Strain the remaining broth and place back in a large saucepan, discarding the solids that are strained out.
11. Stir the blended chile mixture into the broth and season with salt to taste. Keep warm.
12. Shred the beef and its fat as finely as possible and discard the bones. Season the meat with salt to taste and keep warm.

Birria Quesadilla:

1. Preheat a medium nonstick skillet over medium heat. Lightly coat with oil.
2. Dip a corn tortilla in the birria broth and lay it down in the hot pan. Top one half of the tortilla with cheese and cook for 15-20 seconds, or until the bottom of the tortilla browns and the cheese just begins to melt. Fold the tortilla in half, flip and cook on the second side until the cheese melts completely. Repeat with remaining tortillas and keep warm until ready to serve.

Ramen:

1. To each serving bowl add a splash of shirodashi and soy sauce.
2. Ladle in the broth, filling the bowl about half way. Add a quarter of the cooked ramen to the broth and drizzle over toasted sesame oil to taste. Add a generous portion of shredded beef, followed by some sweet onion, half an egg, cilantro leaves, lime wedge and quesadilla. Repeat building more bowls with the remaining ingredients. Enjoy!

Butter Chicken Tsukemen

MSG Garlic Butter Fat Bomb:

1. In a medium bowl whisk together all the ingredients until evenly combined. 
2. Place a piece of plastic wrap on a flat surface and add the butter to the center. Fold the plastic wrap over the butter and roll it against the flat surface, pinching in the sides to form a tight log. Refrigerate until ready to use.

Grilled Chicken:

1. In a medium bowl add all the ingredients and mix by hand until evenly combined and the chicken is completely coated. Let marinate while you make the broth. 
2. When ready to cook, grease a grill or grill pan with cooking spray and set over medium high heat. Cook the chicken for 5 - 8 minutes, flipping as needed, until seared on the outside and cooked to 165 ℉ (74℃) internal temperature.
3. Remove to a sheet pan and let rest for a few minutes.

Butter Chicken Tsukemen:

1. Add the oil to a medium saucepan over medium heat. Once the oil is hot, add the onion, garlic, ginger, and salt to taste. Cook for 5 minutes or until the vegetables start to soften.
2. Add the spices and sugar and sauté until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in the crushed tomatoes, broth, shirodashi, fenugreek leaves, and water. Bring to a simmer and then reduce to low and cook for 5 - 8 minutes or until slightly thickened.
3. Carefully pour the sauce into a blender and blend until smooth. Place back in the pan over medium-low heat. Stir in the heavy cream until evenly combined. Season with salt and shirodashi to taste. Simmer for an additional 5 minutes to reduce slightly and then keep warm.

Assembly:

1. Add the hot tsukemen sauce to a bowl. Top with a slice of MSG garlic butter and let melt into the sauce.
2. Add a quarter of the cooked noodles to a plate, along with one portion of sliced chicken, one soft boiled egg, and cilantro leaves. Repeat with the remaining ingredients.
3. Dip the noodles into the sauce and enjoy!

Gumbo Tonkotsu Ramen

Spicy Miso-Tonkotsu Broth:

1. In a large stock pot, add neck bones and pork hocks. Cover with cold water and set over medium-high heat to bring to a boil. Remove all the scum from the surface of the water with a spoon or strainer and discard. As soon as the mixture boils, cut the heat, strain the meat and rinse under cold water. 
2. Transfer the rinsed meat and bones to a pressure cooker. Top with the blended crushed tomatoes, hot sauce, Worcestershire, Cajun seasoning, paprika and hondashi. Add enough cold water to cover the ingredients and come up to the pressure cooker’s fill line. Pressure cook on high for 1.5 hours.
3. Open the pressure cooker after all the pressure is released. Stir in the sausage, bell pepper, celery and pork fat. Cover with a lid again and pressure cook on high for an additional 1.5 hours.
4. Remove the pork fatback with a slotted spoon or strainer and place in a blender with 2 cups of broth. Blend on high until smooth.
5. Strain the remaining broth into a stock pot, discarding any of the strained solids. Stir in the blended fatback mixture until evenly combined. 
6. Bring to a boil over medium high heat and then reduce the heat to medium to simmer for 5 minutes. Add shrimp, and cook for 5 minutes, or until the shrimp is just cooked through.

Cajun Chili Oil:

1. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, add the oil, cinnamon stick, star anise, bay leaves, garlic, Sichuan peppercorn, shallots, and green onions. Heat to 220℉ (104℃) and hold at that temperature for 30 minutes to infuse the oil with all the flavors.
2. In a mixing bowl, add the chili flakes. Strain the hot oil over the chili flakes, discarding the ingredients that are strained out. To the oil, stir in the MSG, Cajun seasoning, and sugar until evenly combined. Let the oil cool completely before using or store in the refrigerator for future use.

Assembly:

1. Add a splash of shirodashi and a splash of soy sauce to a serving bowl. Top with the broth, adding enough to come about halfway up the bowl. Add a quarter of the cooked noodles to the bowl, along with a piece of seared andouille, green onions, half a soft boiled egg, nori sheets and a few pieces of shrimp from the broth.
2. Repeat building bowls with the remaining ingredients. Serve immediately.