Shrimp Tempura and Pork Shoyu Ramen

INGREDIENTS

300 grams  cooked fresh ramen noodle
6-8 pieces shrimp
MAYA Cake Flour for dredging, as needed

Tempura Batter:
1 cup MAYA Cake Flour
1 piece egg
2/3 cup ice cold water
1/8 teaspoon baking powder
oil for frying

Tempura Sauce:
¼ teaspoon dashinomoto
½ cup water
1 tablespoon mirin
2 tablespoons soy sauce
½ teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon grated ginger
3 tablespoons grated radish

Braised Pork:
300 grams  pork shoulder
salt and pepper to taste
2 tablespoons oil
6 cups  water
1/3 cup  soy sauce
¼ cup  sake
thumb-sized ginger, crushed
2 teaspoons whole peppercorns
½ piece star anise
1/3 cup sugar

Shoyu Ramen Broth:
6 cups pork stock
1 cup braised pork liquid
1/3 cup  soy sauce
2 packets  bonito flakes
1 tablespoon dashinomoto
salt to taste

Toppings:
shrimp tempura, prepared
hard boiled eggs, halved
leeks, thinly sliced
nori, cut into thin strips

PROCEDURE

TEMPURA
Peel the shrimps but leave the tails intact. Trim the tails then devein the shrimps. Make a slight cut along one side of the shrimp to stretch it out and prevent it from curling when cooked. Set aside then start heating the oil for frying.

Prepare Tempura Batter: Sift flour 3 times to make it very light. Beat egg and water together in a bowl. Add in sifted flour and baking powder. Mix until lightly lumpy, don’t overbeat. Set aside. Dredge the shrimps one at a time in sifted flour then dip in tempura batter. Drop into hot oil and deep fry until lightly brown and crisp. Drain on paper towels and serve at once with tempura sauce.

Prepare Tempura Sauce: Combine the first 6 ingredients together in a sauce pan. Bring to a boil then transfer to a small serving bowl. Serve the sauce with grated ginger and radish.
RAMEN

Divide cooked noodles in serving bowls. Set aside until ready to use.

Prepare Braised Pork: Season pork with salt and pepper and pan sear in hot oil until brown on all sides. Put the remaining ingredients in a braising or sauce pot together with the pan-seared pork. Bring to a boil then turn down heat into a simmering stage. Continue simmering for another 45 minutes or until tender. Remove pork from heat and cool a bit then slice pork thinly or to serving pieces. Set aside.

Prepare Shoyu Ramen broth: Put all shoyu ramen broth ingredients in a sauce pot. Bring to a boil then lower heat to a simmering stage for another 10 to 15 minutes.

To assemble: Arrange on top of ramen noodles the shrimp tempura, egg, leeks and nori then pour in a big ladle of the shoyu ramen broth to the bowl of noodles. Best serve piping hot.

NOTES