Every year my wife “vulture-izes” (as my mom calls it) the turkey carcass. Every little bit of meat is scraped clean and either eaten during this process or saved aside for future use. With these scavenged bones, wings and legs, I make a hearty homemade turkey broth. This broth makes the perfect base to make turkey ramen! (Now, when I say ramen, I’m not talking about authentic Japanese ramen. So all you ramen purists out there, keep that in mind.)
Making the broth is one of my favorite parts of Thanksgiving now. The morning after the big feast I gather all the ingredients and start brewing. The fumes waft through the house all day as it simmers. All of the fat and flavor from the bones oozing into the pot. A pleasant warm reminder that something delicious is in our near future. It’s the best!
Sometimes I use the Thanksgiving leftovers to make a noodle casserole, or even croquettes (korokke), but the highlight for me is always making the broth. I’ve been making the broth since I was in college. It was always for some classic turkey noodle soup. Some years I added beer to it, sometimes apples, sometimes apple cider. But over the years I’ve tweaked and refined it and finally I think I have it right.
LEFT-OVER TURKEY RAMEN
Ingredients
- For the Broth:
- Turkey bones
- 1 large onion quartered
- 2 large carrots roughly chopped
- 2 celery stalks roughly chopped
- 1 orange sliced
- 1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 2 garlic cloves
- 1 bay leave
- 4 fresh thyme sprigs (or 2 tsp dried)
- 2 tsp salt
- ½ tsp peppercorn
- Water
- For the Ramen:
- 6 cups turkey broth
- 4 Tbsp miso paste
- 1.5 Tbsp Cooking Saki
- 2 tsp minced ginger
- 2 tsp garlic
- 1 Tbsp Sesame oil
- 1 c frozen corn
- 2 carrots Julienne
- Half head of cabbage sliced thin
- 4 medium boil eggs
- A few good pieces of sliced dark turkey meat
- 4 packs of noodles
Instructions
- Combine all ingredients for the broth in a large pot and fill with water.
- Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer all day. For at least 6 hours.
- Drain the broth through a strainer and set aside. Now you are ready to make ramen.
- Heat the sesame oil in a medium sized pot. Add garlic and ginger sauté for just a minute.
- Add the broth, saki, and sugar. Bring to a simmer and then dissolve the miso paste inside.
- In a separate pan, saute cabbage and carrots until soft.
- Boil the noodles according to the package directions.
- To assemble the bowls, add noodles, then broth, then top with all other ingredients.
