Toyama black gentei ramen. An old school classic and a regional ramen style from Toyama city, relying heavily on its shoyu tare, hence the name Toyama black. The shop Taiki crafted it just after WW2 to feed hungry workers and uses thick curly noodles to soak up the soup. The sulphor of the negi, freshly cracked pepper in addition with the koikuchi shoyu is said to give the ramen a salty pungent taste, but it is mellowed out by adding freshly grated ginger. Bursting of umami, this old school classic embodies the essence flavors of 20th century Japan flavors and never grows old! Feel free to try the following feutured recipe!

Ingredients - About 8 Bowls

Chicken stock (yields 3,3 L)

• 500 gr chicken feet
• 2 organic whole stewing hen
• 2 green parts of negi
• ½ bulb of garlic
• 1 onion, halved and peeled

Shoyu taré (yields 320 ml)

• 60 ml koikuchi shoyu
• 40 ml usukuchi shoyu
• 50 ml of tamari shoyu
• 80 ml shiro shoyu i.e. white soy sauce
• 40 ml de-alcoholized Chardonnay
• 30 ml alcohol free mirin i.e. rice wine
• 10 ml mild white rice vinegar
• 1 tbsp. cane sugar
• 1 tsp. of fish sauce
• 1/2 tbsp.salt
• 3 dried squid
• a small handfull of katsuobushi i.e. shaved bonito flakes
• 10 cm of kombu i.e. dried kelp
• 6 dried shiitake

Aroma oil (yields 160 ml)

• 300 gr of chicken skins
• 60 ml of vegetable oil
• 1 green part of negi i.e Japanese scallion, chopped
• 2 slices of ginger, diced

Toppings

• Tori chashu i.e. braised chicken
  • 6 chicken thighs
  • 1/3 cup mirin
  • 1/3 cup usukuchi shoyu i.e. light soy sauce
  • 1 cm ginger, chopped
  • 1/2 scallion, chopped
  • 1/3 tsp salt
  • 1/3 tsp sugar
  • A pinch of white pepper
  • A dash of oil
• Ajitama i.e. cured eggs
  • 8 eggs
  • ¼ cup mirin
  • ¼ cup usukuchi shoyu
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp sugar
• 4 white parts of negi, sliced
• Menma i.e. pickled bamboo shoots*
  • 170 gr dried menma shoots
  • 2 cups water
  • 50 gr sugar
  • 1 pinch of chili powder
  • A big handful of katsuobushi
  • 1 cup usukuchi soy
  • ¼ cup sesame oil
• 2 sheets of nori i.e. dried seaweed, cut in 4 pieces
• 4 tblsp freshly grated ginger
• 4 tsp feshly grated black pepper

Noodles, medium, waivy

• 1000 gr patent flour
• 10 gr egg white powder
• 10 gr glutenpowder
• 4 gr Potassium carbonate
• 6 gr Sodium carbonate
• 10 gr salt
• 380 cl water
• A pinch of riboflavin OPTIONAL
• Potato starch for dusting

 * You could also uses storebought.

Method Of Preparation

The 1^st day make the noodles by mixing the solids and liquids separately. Slowly add the liquids to the solids and mix. Let it rest. After a half hour knead it together in a plastic bag. Cut it into 10 to 20 cm squares, cover and let it rest again for half an hour. Roll the dough out manually and then with a machine, gradually going from the widest setting to the fourth widest. Combine the dough and follow the steps again until the sheets are 1.4 mm in thickness. Rest it for half an hour and cut the sheet into square noodles- except for one portion for the noodle skin, which doest need to be cut into noodles but sheeted into 0,8 mm and cut into 5*5 cm sheets. Flour, scrabble, place, cover and keep them airtight in the fridge. Next, cut the chicken toes. Soak the chicken toes overnight in cold water, and keep in the fridge. Make the taré by first bringing the shiitake, kombu and squid to almost a boil in a small saucepan. Take the solids (keep them for later) out and put in all ingredients, except the katsuobushi, and bring to a soft boil for about ten minutes. Ad katsuobushi, and turn off the heat. Stir until remaining salts are dissolved.  Place the tare, incl kombu and shiitake in a container and keep in the fridge. Boil the eggs for 6,5 minutes in boiling water, while turning them in the beginning. Shock them in a water bath and cool them for 5 minutes. Peel them and then brine them in the marinade. Keep them in the fridge. Mix the ingredients for the chashu marinade together with the chicken thighs. Place them in an airtight freezer bag and keep in the fridge. Lastly, cook the bamboo shoots in the water for half an hour. Then strain them and add the rest of the ingredients, except the katsuobushi. Boil for thirty minutes and place together with the katsuobushi, in a freezer bag in the fridge to further marinate.

The 2nd day wash the chicken toes, except whole hen, for the stock and fill the pot with cold water again and bring it to a boil. Throw away the water and fill the cleaned pot again with cold water. Lay the feet on top. The ratio has to be between 1:1 animal parts versus water. Slowly increase the pan on a stove to 90°C, measured with a food thermometer. Don’t ever stir, keep the lid on. If any foam builds up, just let it sit there. This takes from 6 to 8 hours. If the water level drops below the original level, carefully add water. In the last hour carefully slide in aromatics. Carefully ladle through a strainer and immediately cool the filtered stock in ice cold water. Keep stock in the fridge.

The 3rd day skim the solidified layer of fat of the stock. Your stock is now ready for reheating and assembling its final form. Next make the tori chashu by frying it on both sides for 2 minutes in an oiled hot frying pan. Then turn the fire on low and keep on the lid for about 8 minutes. Slice cooled chicken with a meat slicing machine or sharp knife. Meanwhile, make the chi-yu by putting the chicken skins in a pot with a dash of vegetable oil to let the chicken skin start to release its fat. Keep stirring at a low temperature for about 1 hour or until the skins have released all their fat. Take out the skins. Notice that if you fry the skins until their crispy, it will alter the flavour of the chi-yu in a bad way. After one hour add the remaining aromatics for the chi-yu and stir at a low temperature for another 30 minutes, also before the aromatics become crispy and brown. Filter chi-yu and set aside. Heat up the tori chintan and fill another big pot with water and bring it to a boil for cooking your noodles. Prepare other toppings. Remove menma and ajitama from the marinade. Cut nori into squares. Grate/chop ginger. 

For the final assembly arrange your working place and heat up the ramen bowls. When ready, cook your noodles and noodle skin and stirr noodles frequently. Meanwhile, put in a tsp of ginger, 40 cl of taré, 10 cl of chi-yu and 400 cl of the stock in an emptied bowl per person. After 60 seconds sieve the noodles, shake off the excess water and slide in the soup carefully. Arrange the noodles. Top the ramen soup as depicted with one ajitama, a handful of negi, menma, a few slices of chashu, another of 10 cl of chi-yu, nori and a few dashes of fresh cracked black pepper. Serve immediately. 

Please let me know in the comments how it turned out or if you have any further questions! Itadakimasu!