Duck Dashi & Steak Ramen

Duck broth is luxurious, but a tricky liquid to perfect. Duck has a gamey flavor that can overpower everything in your ramen. The trick is to mask these flavors to uncover the subtle yet rich duck flavors that are every so tasty. One of the best dishes that has mastered masking the gamey duck flavors is Chinese Roasted Duck with its use of five spice powder, which is why I decided to use some roasted duck bones that were lying around.

I went very simple with this broth. I first made a dashi with kombu, katsuobushi, and some dried porcini mushrooms that I had in the cupboard. After taking the meat off the roasted duck bones, the steeped the bones in the dashi for 45 minutes. An hour and a half would probably have been a more appropriate amount of time, but it was dinner time and I was starving. To finish the broth I added soy sauce and a garlic oil to the broth with some salt. The broth was great but needed something sweet to give it that wow factor. I should have added some sugar or mirin and sake to the broth, but it was great nonetheless.

I saved the leftover duck pieces for a later use and added some steak across the top. The pepper from the steak added the right kick to this bowl, and plus what doesn't taste good with steak.