Instant Pot Ramen Broth

Honestly. Seriously. I mean, just make it. We ate it for dinner on its own one night.

Ramen broth is a nine-hundred day process. (I exaggerate a little.) But a multi-cooker makes it happen in no time. (Spoiler alert--a little over 3 hours, a savings of more than 899 days and 20 hours!)

We talked about this on our podcast. Look for that in the media player on the main page--or listen to it here. 

But make this broth. Because you can.

Do you have to use an Instant Pot? No, you can make this in any electric pressure cooker. So what's your excuse? Freeze the makings and get ready for ramen anytime.

RAMEN BROTH

• 4 medium sheets kombu
• 1 smoked ham hock or a smoked turkey leg
• 1 pound chicken wings (separated), backs, necks, or a combination thereof
• 1 pound pork bones or bone-in pork shoulder chops
• 10 medium scallions, trimmed and cut into 2-inch pieces
• One 3- to 4-inch piece fresh ginger (about as wide as two or three thumbs put together), peeled (as necessary) and cut into 1/2-inch thick rings
• 1/4 cup soy sauce (see below)
• 2 tablespoons mirin
• About 10 cups water

1. Place the kombu, hock, chicken, pork, scallions, ginger, soy sauce, and mirin in a 6- or 8-quart electric pressure cooker or multi-cooker. Add about 10 cups water--but do not add water above the max-fill line on the inside of the pot.

2. Cover and lock the lid in place. Set the machine to cook at high pressure for 2 hours.

3. Let the pressure come back to normal naturally, either by turning off the machine, turning off the pressure, or unplugging the machine (check your owner's manual). Do not let the machine flip to its "keep warm" setting.

4. When the pressure lock is released and the pot's pressure is back to normal, unlock the lid and uncover the pot. Strain the broth through a fine-mesh sieve or a cheesecloth-lined giant colander and into a large bowl. Transfer the strained broth to freezer-safe containers and store in the freezer for up to 3 months.

You can save the meat from the pork and chicken--although it's pretty spent. Make ramen easy by heating the broth to a low simmer, then ladling over bowls of baby kale, purchased ramen noodles, and perhaps a soft-boiled egg. You can also add chunked-up ham, pork shoulder, or other meats you might have as leftovers (which is why you want to freeze this stuff--so it's ready for leftovers).

NOTE: Here's the Japanese soy sauce we talked about in the episode. We don't read Japanese--and so can't say more than, yep, that's the stuff. Anybody's help would be appreciated. And yes, you can use any sort of soy sauce.)