My love for Japanese food actually started with my first bowl of Ramen ..... the amazing, flavorful broth, tender pieces of Chashu and al dente noodles. It was a bowl of perfection! That bowl of Ramen made me realize that there is so much more to Japanese food than I ever knew and that started me on an exploration which continues till date. Having visited Japan earlier this year I also realized that Japanese food quite like Indian food when prepared at home can be much healthier than what we get in a restaurant. My major concern with a hot bowl of Ramen was the amount of fat it seemed to carry along with the good stuff. I don't want to stop eating Ramen because what gets served in restaurants is unhealthy. So I started my quest to learn more about cooking Ramen and making it healthy at the same time.

I wanted to learn and improve by component on the health of the dish that I served. The first part was the broth. I realized that a miso broth is much healthier than a traditional Tonkotsu broth. I love a Tonkotsu broth and will be trying out soon on how to make it healthier but for now, it is miso for me. The other unhealthy part of a Ramen is the melt in your mouth pieces of chashu. I love chashu in Ramen and I think it is the best part of enjoying your bowl but I did want to understand if there is a way to make it healthier. Traditional Chashu is made using pork belly. I read up on several sites and realized that it is possible to make Chashu using other cuts of pork like pork loin. Of course it will not be melt in the mouth tender but the authentic flavor will be there and I don't mind if my family decides to eat several pieces of these. It is all good protein and minimal fat. My kids love the chashu I make. I never have leftovers of the meat. And I don't feel guilty at all serving them this chashu as I know this is good for them.

My inspiration for trying out Japanese food at home is Nami's blog Just One Cookbook . She gives so much advice for every recipe, explaining the role of the ingredients or the cooking method that is used. I just love going through her blog and learning as much as I can. My recipe for Chashu has been inspired from this recipe on her blog and the miso broth has been adapted from her recipe also. There are changes of course based on what I want to make and also on the ingredients I have on hand. Thanks Nami for a fantastic blog and for sharing your love for Japanese food with everyone. I have used some unconventional methods here like using slow cooker for Chashu, using multigrain Ramen noodles but these are the parts that make it healthy for me. I am not trying to be completely authentic here. My attempt is to enjoy the food I like and make it healthy. So if my recipes do not seem like to real thing to you, please excuse me as it is my attempt to enjoy a cuisine I admire greatly in my way.

Chashu

Ingredients:

1 lb lean pork loin

1/4 cup soy sauce

1/4 cup mirin

1/4 cup sushi vinegar

2 tsp grated ginger

2 tsp chopped scallions/green onions (use the white part mostly)

1 tsp oil

butcher's twine to hold the meat together

salt & white pepper to taste

Method:

1. Clean and pat dry the pork loin pieces with a paper towel. Tie them together with butchers' twine so it resembles a log. Season the pork with salt and pepper on the outside.

2. In a pan, heat the 1 tsp of oil and when it becomes hot, add the pork to it to sear on all sides. Keep turning the pork so that it is well seared on all sides. At this point we don't want to cook it all the way to the center. The idea is to just sear it on the outside so it develops a flavorful crust. Set the pork aside.

3. In the bowl of a slow cooker, combine the soy, mirin, sushi vinegar, ginger and scallions. Add the pork to this mixture and put the lid on. Cook on low setting for about 2 hours. Make sure you continue to turn the pork after every 20 minutes or so to ensure all sides are well covered with the sauce and the meat can get maximum flavor from the braising liquid on all sides.

4. Once the pork reaches an internal temperature of 60 dec C, remove it from the braising liquid and set it aside. Once cooled to room temperature, remove the twine and slice into pieces.

5. Strain and reduce the braising liquid till it resembles a thick BBQ sauce. Brush the pork pieces with this and place them under a broiler for about 30 seconds so they get coated with this delicious sauce all the way through. This step is not mandatory and can be skipped easily. The sliced pieces of pork can be used directly in the Ramen.

Miso Ramen

Ingredients:

2 packs Ramen Noodles

1 tsp La-Yu (Japanese Chili Oil)

1 small Sliced Onion

1 tsp grated ginger

Nanami Togarashi (Japanese chili pepper) to taste

2 cups prepared Dashi stock

1 1/2 tablespoon each White and Red Miso Paste

scallions to garnish

bean sprouts (washed and drained)

nori sheets/seaweed shreds to serve

black and white sesame seeds and more nanami togarashi for garnish

Method:

1. Add the chili oil to a moderately hot soup pot, add the onions, ginger and saute for a few minutes.

2. Add the dashi stock and miso paste (dissolved in some water) to the pan and cook for 1-2 minutes till the broth comes together nicely.

3. Add nanami togarashi to the broth and cook for another 1-2 minutes.

4. Prepare the ramen noodles as per package instructions, stop cooking when they are short of being done as the noodles continue to cook in the broth. Drain the noodles and place them in a bowl.

5. Top with the soup, chashu, scallions, bean sprouts, nori and serve.