Burnt garlic oil

This sticky condiment, known as mayu in Japan, is made by cooking a lot of grated or minced garlic in oil until it turns black and infuses the oil with a bitter-sweet flavour that adds depth to ramen when used sparingly. If you find it a bit much, you can combine the cooled burnt oil with a little sesame oil to round out the flavours, or maybe spice things up by adding some very finely diced fresh red chilli. Balance it all out with the addition of a pinch of sugar, if you like.