I love exploring new flavors and trying out fun things in the kitchen, especially after being inspired by a fresh grocery haul from the Asian market. With my recent move, I was able to restock my pantry from scratch (which was one of the fun things to get done in addition to organizing my spice cabinet). With my ongoing partnership with Spice Tribe, I wanted to use one of their blends that I haven’t really cooked with yet, their Kissed By Binchotan blend, which features spicy togarashi chile, sesame, seaweed, and tangerine. I’m not a huge fan of super spicy foods, but even though this blend is spicy, it’s flavorful, so it gets a win in my book.

Shichimi togarashi is a red chile pepper blend translating to “seven spice.” Spice Tribe shares that this blend is “centered around the fruity yet spicy Togarashi chile, that’s traditionally used in Japan to sprinkle over bbq skewers after they have been kissed by the hot embers of binchotan charcoal.” I don’t have my grill set up yet, but I wanted to maintain some of that same smoky flavor with this ramen recipe I whipped up. By no means, is this an authentic version of ramen, but this is my take on what I wanted in my soup after tasting this spice blend. It’s a mostly hands-off recipe, especially if you make the stock a day before (which I always suggest). Make sure to have your prepped mise ready and you can set up a little ramen station so people can add what they like to the bowl. Let’s get cooking!

Smoked Turkey Ramen

Smoked Turkey Stock

Cook time: at least 2 hours

Yield: ~4 quarts (reserve 2 quarts for soup recipe, freeze remainder)

2 smoked turkey drumsticks

1 medium onion, halved

2 stalks celery, cut into chunks

2 medium carrots, cut into chunks

1 small bunch green onions, sliced

2 small knobs fresh ginger, peeled

2 large bay leaves

1 tbsp Spice Tribe Late Harvest Black Peppercorns

5 quarts (20 cups) water

Spice Tribe Kissed By Binchotan Spice Blend, to taste

Place the turkey drumsticks, vegetables, and spices in a large stockpot. Fill with water and bring to a boil. Once boiling, turn the heat down to medium-low and simmer for at least 2 hours, skimming fat and protein along the edge of the pot if needed. Strain, remove and set aside the turkey drumsticks and discard the veggies. Personally, I like letting stocks cool down in the fridge overnight so all of the fat can rise to the top and solidify. That makes discarding the fat so much easier when you can scrape it off the top with a spoon. Whatever you prefer when it comes to prep work and time for you in the kitchen. I spread the recipe work over two days, so it made sense for me to do it that way.

When the drumsticks are cool enough to handle, shred the turkey meat and discard bones and cartilage. They should honestly be falling off the bone completely at this point. That’s a a good thing! Be very careful to pick out all of the thin, small bones from the leg during this process though. You don’t want to chew on that in the soup later.

Next, spoon one to two ladles of the stock over the shredded turkey meat. Season with a large pinch of kosher salt and a few shakes of the Spice Tribe Kissed By Binchotan blend to your liking. Stir well to combine and store in container with lid for soup usage later. The remaining stock can be portioned and labeled in plastic deli containers to be frozen for another day (I love doing this with one cup sizes, for easy portioning for sauces since I typically cook solo).

Smoked Turkey Ramen Soup

Cook time: 15 minutes

Serves: 2

6 cups prepped smoked turkey stock, brought to gentle boil

1 tbsp low-sodium soy sauce

2 soft-boiled eggs, halved (see instructions below)

1 cup sweet corn kernels, heated through

1 cup prepped smoked turkey meat, heated through

2 segments fresh ramen noodles, cooked according to package instructions (see note)

1 small bunch green onions, thinly sliced

Fried garlic, for garnish

Crunchy chili oil, for garnish

Spice Tribe Kissed By Binchotan Spice Blend, for garnish

Note: if you can’t find fresh ramen noodles, you can definitely use the instant kind that we’re all familiar with (I always keep a few packs in my pantry for quick meals). Just discard the seasoning packet (or save it for another use) and cook the noodles according to package instructions. I was able to find the fresh noodles at my local Asian market in their refrigerated section. I also found the fried garlic and crunchy chili oil at the same market as well.

In a medium saucepan, heat the smoked turkey stock over medium-high heat until gently boiling. Turn the heat down to medium-low, add the soy sauce, stir, and cover with a lid to keep warm until serving.

While the stock stays warm, work on boiling the eggs. In a small saucepan, fill with water and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Once the water is at a rolling boil, gently place two large eggs (straight from the fridge) into the pot with a spoon. The bubbles typically stop rolling here because the eggs are cold, which is normal. Don’t worry. Set a timer for 6 minutes. While the eggs are boiling, fill a large bowl with ice and water to stop the cooking process when the timer is done for the eggs: this will give your egg yolks a runny, almost jammy consistency that’s commonly served with ramen.

When your timer goes off, remove the eggs from the saucepan and into the ice bath. Let them sit for about a minute or two and then tap the eggs on the counter (flat surfaces make for easier peeling) and gently peel the eggs, making sure not to tear into them or break the yolk. If they don’t peel super smoothly, don’t fret! The eggs are going straight into a bowl of soup so no one is going to see the outsides, haha. Set the eggs aside for serving.

During this time, I also cooked the fresh ramen noodles according to package instructions. The brand I used called for a 2-minute cook time in boiling water and then a cold water rinse, so these noodles were done quickly in the grand scheme of things when it came to prep. Set the prepped noodles aside and cover with a lid or plastic wrap to keep warm.

Next, heat the corn kernels through by popping them into a microwave-safe bowl and cooking them for 2 minutes. I used frozen corn because that’s what I had on hand, but you can use drained canned corn if you like. Set the corn aside.

In a small nonstick frying pan, reheat the shredded turkey meat over medium heat to crisp it up a bit. Set aside once warmed through.

To assemble your ramen, place the cooked noodles in a large bowl. Then, working clockwise, top the noodles with the heated sweet corn, shredded turkey meat, sliced green onions, a few spoons of fried garlic, and a large spoonful of crunchy chili crisp in the center. Slice the soft-boiled egg in half and place the halves on the side of the bowl with the other toppings. Then, gently ladle the hot broth over the noodles and toppings. Sprinkle with more Spice Tribe Kissed By Binchotan spice blend and serve immediately.

¡Buen provecho!