WHAT IS IN THAT SOUP BASE AGAIN? : THE BASIC SOY BROTH

And just when we thought that the ramen soup base is some big secret, we stumbled upon this blog. The wonders of blogs, wow! Ok, so the base of a basic soy broth is nothing but ketchup (yes, tomato ketchup), vinegar, soy sauce, some chili sauce and sesame oil? Of course some people will customize their soup base but this is a great start to our ramen adventure (opps, you guys are going to start seeing a lot of ramen posts from now on). You can use this soy broth as soup base or to conjure up some stir-fries. It is so versatile.

Here is how from thewednesdaychef:

Serves 4

Salt

1/3 cup soy sauce, more to taste

1/3 cup ketchup

1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar, more to taste

A few drops dark sesame oil

A squirt of sriracha or other Asian chile-garlic sauce

1 pound egg noodles, preferably fresh (I used 9 ounces of fresh angel hair pasta)

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and salt it. In a smaller pot, bring 6 cups of water to a boil; once boiling, reduce heat so water bubbles gently.

2. To the smaller pot add soy sauce, ketchup, vinegar, sesame oil if using and sriracha or chili, along with a pinch of salt. Stir and let simmer.

3. Add egg noodles to large pot; fresh noodles will be ready in just a couple of minutes; dried will take longer. When tender but not mushy, drain. Taste broth and add more soy, salt, vinegar or heat as you like. Divide noodles into bowls and pour hot broth over all.