A hot bowl of ramen is the perfect dish to warm you up during the cold months. A flavorful broth is what makes ramen great. From traditional soy sauce-based broth to thick and creamy tonkotsu broth, there are many kinds of ramen broth you can try. But have you heard of niboshi ramen? This seafood-based ramen is a new flavor you’d want to try next!
What is Niboshi Ramen?
Niboshi is a dried anchovy often used to make niboshi dashi broth. When you cook niboshi with soy sauce and chicken stock for more than five hours, you’ll get a rich and hearty niboshi ramen broth. Unlike the clear soup of shio (salt) or soy sauce ramen broth, niboshi ramen broth is cloudy. The reason behind its cloudiness is the key to its umami-rich flavor: deconstructed niboshi fish particles after hours of cooking.
Niboshi ramen is a specialty from Aomori prefecture, the northernmost prefecture of Japan’s Honshu island. Although it used to be unique ramen you could only eat in Aomori, Niboshi ramen is getting popularity throughout Japan for its flavorful bowl of deliciousness.
How to Make Niboshi Ramen at Home
As with any bowl of ramen, a good bowl of ramen starts and ends with the broth. That being said, it takes skills and time to create niboshi ramen broth from the actual niboshi fish itself. But rest assured! By using quality niboshi powder, you can recreate this umami-rich ramen broth with a punch of fishy anchovy flavor.
Ishimaru’s dried niboshi powder contains only the good stuff, no artificial flavorings or preservatives. The powder is packed with an intense amount of umami, and it complements many dishes, including hamburgers, pizzas, or salads!
First, boil about 7 ½ cups (1800 cc) of water in a large pot. Then, mix in 3 tablespoons of chicken stock powder, two tablespoons of soy sauce, 1.7 oz (50 grams) of pork lard, and three tablespoons of niboshi powder. That’s it! You can add grated garlic or ginger (or both!) as well. This recipe will make about five to six bowls worth of ramen broth, perfect to enjoy with your family and friends.
Garnish your ramen with vegetables like boiled bok choy, fresh scallions, ajitsuke tamago, or chashu pork. You can even sprinkle some good salt to deepen the flavor of this bowl of ramen.
Premium Salt to Add Umami
Since niboshi ramen is seafood-based ramen, it’s best to use sea salt. Of many kinds of sea salt available, Moshio, Japanese seaweed salt, is especially great to use as a finishing salt. Moshio from Hakata Salt is made from pure seawater and seaweed from the Seto Inland Sea. This particular kind of salt is full of mineral-rich umami flavor of seaweed salt combined with bitterness from nigari (bittern).
Hakata Salt’s Moshio also has a delicate texture that melts in your mouth. Thus, it’s perfect for adding a finishing touch to sizzling grilled fish, ice-cold tofu, or warm onigiri rice balls. You can also use this to make marinades, soups, or even sweets!
