Leftover Turkey Shoyu Ramen
Once you've had your fill of roasted food and have a craving for Japanese flavour, this dish is for you. Set aside some turkey bones to make this fast, flavourful ramen, in the days after Christmas.
Planning for a Boxing day meal is likely bottom of the list right now. You may well be travelling to see family, or in the thick of last minute prep to welcome guests. Maybe you’re enjoying a quieter Xmas this year. A break from work, commitments and time for yourself too. A few precious days to cook and replenish. However you are choosing to celebrate, I hope the prep for the big day is going well.
Give me just 5 minutes. I’d like to plant the seed of an idea for a recipe you can enjoy once Christmas day is past. Save this in your inbox and come back, once you’ve some time and are wondering what to do with a fridge full of leftovers. Perhaps like me, on Boxing day, you’ll already be after some different flavours and Japanese food. All you have to remember on the big day, is to set aside that turkey carcass and any leftover meat. Oh, and I’m hoping you have a few Japanese ingredients in stock. You’ll need noodles (ramen noodles are best), soy sauce, mirin. Sorry, no way round these three. Add these to your list, if you’re doing some last minute shopping today.
This ramen recipe will work with other poultry too, try it out with goose or chicken, if that’s what you’ve gone for this year. For me, turkey is a little gamier in flavour than chicken. I find it really varies each year and can be a little light in flavour. Light, but that’s ideal as the meat is a flavour carrier and in this recipe it really soaks up the umami from the kaeshi sauce.
The taste and texture of the meat really varies depending on where it’s taken from. Thighs, legs or breasts and how close to the bone it is. I love this recipe as you get hints of the roasted flavour too, which brings a new dimension to the dish. It’s easy to cook your turkey a little dry. So this offers a great way to add back some juiciness by combining it with the broth and sauce in this ramen.
There are three stages to this ramen recipe. All super simple. First off, you’ll make the stock. Second, the kaeshi sauce. For the last stage, you’ll bring it all together, for a satisfying bowl of shoyu ramen. Look out for my kaeshi sauce reel on Instagram, which I’ll post on Boxing Day morning. It’s a delicious sauce to make in batches and just featured in my Hot Tomato & Soba Noodles recipe, another tasty dish for this time of year.
To top this ramen, scatter over some chopped spring onions and any leafy greens, like stem broccoli, steamed broccoli or brussel sprouts if you’re a fan. I’ve used Tatsoi. This dish is all about substituting in ingredients and being creative. Let me know what you used for your version?
A little chilli works wonders too and adds colour. I use Japanese seven spice (Togarashi) along with a fiery chilli infused sesame oil, which I dribble liberally over the top. Don’t worry if you don’t have these, use plain sesame oil and chilli only if you fancy it. The dashi powder or kombu is a nice-to-have, for even more umami. Not essential. Enjoy the dish and have a fantastic Christmas!
RECIPE
Serves 2 people
Stock Ingredients
Leftover turkey bones & carcass
1.5 litre of water
3 cm fresh ginger
1 stick of celery
1 small onion (cut into 4 pieces)
1 small leek or 1/2 large leek
2-3 cloves of garlic
1 carrot (cut into 4 pieces)
4 tbsp dashi powder or 1 piece of
dried kombu (5cm square) - Optional
Kaeshi Sauce Ingredients
50 ml Japanese soy sauce
1 tbsp Sugar (10g)
1 tbsp Mirin (15ml)
Main Dish Ingredients
600 ml stock
3 tbsp kaeshi sauce
200 g Sliced turkey meat
1-2 Chopped spring onions
200 g Tatsoi (or any leafy greens, like stem broccoli, spinach or brussel sprouts!)
Seven spice AKA Togarashi (optional)
Sesame oil (just a drizzle)
METHOD - THE STOCK
Put all the bones into a big stock pot and cover with cold water (1.5L). Bring to the boil. Skim the scum from the top of the stock, it will take about 10 minutes after the water has boiled before the scum stops rising.
Cut all the vegetables into rough pieces and add. Bring back to the boil then simmer at least two hours.
Strain the stock through a fine sieve and use for the ramen soup.
Optional - Add the 4 tbsp of Dashi powder or infuse the dried kombu.
METHOD - THE KAESHI SAUCE
Put the soy sauce, sugar and mirin into a small saucepan and bring to the boil. Simmer for a couple of minutes, using the lowest possible heat. Watch it carefully whilst it simmers, as it burns easily.
Turn off the heat and set to one side. Once it has cooled down you can store the batch in the fridge for up to one month.
METHOD - THE SHOYU RAMEN
Steam your choice of leafy greens and have these ready to top the dish.
Pour 1.5 tbsb of the kaeshi sauce into individual noodle bowls. Reheat the stock if it has cooled, so that it is piping hot. Add 300ml of the stock to the bowl and a drizzle of sesame oil, then mix well.
At the same time, in a separate pan filled with boiling water, add the noodles and cook for 1-2 minutes. The exact time depends on which noodles you have. Please check the instructions on the package.
Add the strained noodles, the turkey meat, the spring onion, leafy greens (steam them first) and any other toppings.
Serve the ramen immediately, to avoid soggy noodles!