Today is the day after Thanksgiving. This morning I opened up my fridge and found the carcass I asked to take home yesterday from my mom’s annual feast. While it seemed like a good idea while requesting the turkey bones the task of making turkey broth didn’t interest me. I conjured up the energy to go through with and boy am I glad I did.
My tray of deliciousness from Thanksgiving. I love my mom’s cooking.
The broth: the carcass was too big to fit in my stock pot or my crock pot so I broke it in half and split the bones equally. There was a ton of meat still on the bones and I pulled off what I could. I then filled each container with the following ingredients:
- water
- small carrot
- a quarter of an onion
- a half a stalk of celery
- a clove of garlic
- a bay leaf
- a few shakes of thyme
- a few cranks of freshly cracked pepper
- a few shakes of parsley
I cooked the stock pot on the stove top on medium low and the crock pot on high for four hours each. I then put a strainer in a bowl to catch all the bigger chunks.
Then it was ramen time. I have never actually made ramen but I do know that the broth is the cornerstone of the dish. Reading the other turkey ramen recipes online from Bon Appetit, Epicurious, Serious Eats, and The Woks of Life I was inspired, but I didn’t have all the ingredients they used in their recipes. The day after Thanksgiving is all about comfort and sweatpants so I was not about to go all the way to the grocery store for some shiitake mushrooms and fresh ginger. That is the beauty with ramen, if you have a fairly stocked pantry- you should be able to make it your own way.
Ramen ingredients:
- 4 pieces of bacon
- 4 cups of turkey broth
- 2 palm fulls of leftover turkey
- 2 servings or “ of ramen noodles
- 1 egg
- 6 scallions
- 1 carrot
- A dash of ginger powder
- A dash of garlic powder
- 2 tablepoons of Soy sauce
- A dash or two Sesame oil
- Sesame seeds
- Chili oil
My ramen steps:
- Fry up 4 pieces of bacon- not too crispy
- Soft boil and peel the egg- I used Epicurious’ direction of lowering eggs into boiling water for 7 minutes then moving to ice bath.
- Chop up the scallions (white and green parts), carrots (I made mine like large matchsticks), leftover turkey, and bacon.
- Using the same water from the boiled egg, cook your noodles according to directions and drain.
- Add your broth to the saucepan and bring to a strong simmer.
- Add the carrots and cook until tender.
THIS IS WHERE YOU NEED TO BECOME THE MASTER OF YOUR OWN BROTH.
7. Slowly add the soy sauce a half tablespoon at a time. Add a dash of sesame oil here and there. Add a dash of powdered ginger and or garlic powder here and there. Keep slowly adding these umami tasting ingredients until you get to a ramen base that meets your needs.
Remember, it is easier to slowly add elements then remove. AND you are about to add scallions, bacon, turkey, and chili oil so more flavors are coming!!!
8. Once you have your ramen broth base where you want it, add your turkey to warm it up.
9. Portion everything in the pan into two bowls.
Here is where you get artsy.
10. Make little piles on top of your noodles & broth: scallions, turkey, bacon, and one half of your soft boiled egg. Then drizzle chili oil to your liking.
11. Take a picture for your social media accounts and to send to your family to make them jealous.
12. Enjoy!
Questions, comments, concerns? Share below.
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