Cocolo Ramen
May 24, 2017
Yosuke Sumida: "Soup used to be an affordable everyday meal in Japan."
Ramen noodles - in Japan, that's a science in and of itself. That's why, as head chef, Yosuke Sumida, makes them himself at Cocolo Ramen. And it's not just the noodles - everything at Cocolo Ramen is homemade - every sauce and every topping. That is a top priority for Yosuke Sumida. At the age of 15, he started working in restaurants back in Japan, and cooking for friends and family on the side. He says that his grandmother acted as the inspiration for his fascination with Japanese cuisine. She was apparently an excellent cook, just like his mother. Since 2013, he has poured all of his energy into Cocolo Ramen in Berlin-Kreuzberg, a restaurant specialized in ramen soups.
Cocolo Ramen in Berlin's Kreuzberg district
A gigantic machine stands in Cocolo Ramen - which loosely means "noodles made with passion." Restaurant operator and head chef Yosuke Sumida brought it straight from Japan to make his special ramen noodles.
Tantan ramen soup
Serves 4
Ingredients:
For the meat broth:
- 1 stewing hen (around 1 kg)
- 1 kg pork bone
- 3 l water
- 50 g ginger
- 50 g green onions
For the miso paste:
- 10 ml soy sauce
- 5 ml sake
- 20 g carrots
- 20 g onions
- 5 g ginger
- ½ garlic clove
- 90 g white miso
- 30 g red miso
- 10 g salt
- 5 g sugar
For the tantan meat:
- 200 g ground round (beef, pork, or chicken)
- 30 g red miso
- 30 g gochujang (Korean chili paste)
- 20 g soy sauce
- 20 g sake
For the sweet pork belly (kakuni):
- 200 g pork belly
- 500 ml soy sauce
- 500 ml sake
- 100 g sugar
- 1 l water
- 50 g ginger
For the topping:
- 480 g ramen noodles, or wheat noodles
- 160 g soy bean sprouts
- 80 g corn
- 80 g green onions
- 60 g sugar snaps
- Chili oil
- Sesame seeds
Preparation:
Slice ginger into round slices and slice green onions into rings. Add water to a large pot. Add stewing hen, ginger, green onions, and pork bone. Bring to a boil, then simmer for around 3 hours at low heat.
To make miso paste, purée soy sauce, diced carrots, onions, ginger, and garlic using a hand mixer until mixture forms a liquid mass. Combine with white and red miso, salt, and sugar. If possible, prepare paste one day in advance. This will allow the flavors to develop.
To make the soup, fry meat. Once meat is cooked through, add red miso, Korean chili paste, soy sauce, and sake to pan, and mix thoroughly. Simmer for an additional ten minutes at low heat.
In the meantime, slice pork belly into eight pieces and boil for 15 minutes in 2 liters of boiling water. Pour off water, add an additional 1 liter of water to pot, and add soy sauce, sake and sugar. Thinly slice ginger and add to pot with pork belly. Place pork belly back on heat and bring to a boil. Simmer for two hours at low heat.
Briefly cook ramen noodles in hot water (around 90 seconds) and slice green onions into thin rings. Divide miso paste into four bowls or soup dishes. Pour meat broth over paste and stir using a whisk. Carefully add noodles and all remaining ingredients to the soup. Then add tantan meat and pork belly to bowls, and garnish with chili oil and sesame seeds.
Restaurant Cocolo Ramen
Paul-Lincke-Ufer 39-40
10999 Berlin
Tel.: +49 30 98339073