Fresh clam ramen

Name: Fresh clam ramen
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 50 min
Yield: Serves 4
Cuisine: Japanese
Ingredients: 2 garlic cloves, peeled and grated; 5 cm/2 in piece of fresh root ginger, peeled and grated; 5 ml/1 tsp dark soy sauce; 15 ml/1 tbsp sake (optional); 15 ml/1 tbsp mirin; 15 ml/1 tbsp light soy sauce; 400 g/14 oz fresh ramen noodles; 1.75 litres/3 pints/7½ cups kombu dashi or vegetable stock; pinch of salt, to taste; pinch of sugar; handful of shiitake mushrooms, large ones halved; about 1.2 kg/21/2 lb fresh clams, rinsed (discard any that are open); about 30 ml/2 tbsp dried wakame, soaked in warm water until reconstituted; 2–3 spring onions/scallions, curled (see Cook’s Tip); 30 ml/2 tbsp pickled ginger (gari); 1 fresh red chilli, finely sliced; few fresh micro or regular coriander/cilantro leaves (optional)

Preparation info

Serves
4

Difficulty
Medium
Ready in
50 min

Appears in

Ramen

By Heather Whinney

Published 2018

About

The experience of chowing down on salty clams slurped with silky noodles and a tasty hot broth is divine. The subtle and sweet flavour of wakame sea vegetables makes them a fabulous topping that marries well with the more assertive spring onions, pickled ginger and fresh chilli. You’ll need napkins at the ready!

Ingredients

For the base

1.75 litres/3 pints/7½ cups kombu dashi or

Asia
Japan
Fish course
Pescatarian
Spring
Soup

Method

Put the stock in a large pan. Mix together the tare ingredients, add to the stock and bring to the boil. Reduce to a simmer, cook for 5 minutes, then taste and add more seasoning if necessary.
Pour a small amount of water into the bottom of a wide, shallow pan. Add the clams in a single layer (work in batches if necessary rather than heaping them on top of each