Mix Up Your Meal Plan with Duck Ramen

A good bowl of ramen with a savory broth can be something magical when it all comes together. During the cold, crisp weather of duck season, wild game ramen becomes a go-to comfort that is easy to make. While you can use any protein you like, making the dish provides a perfect way to cook the skin of a duck breast. A good broth is paramount to a good bowl of ramen and the wild game stock makes a solid base for the broth. Not only is wild game ramen easy to make, it can be used in all sorts of dishes and is a delicious way to use more of your duck harvest. See the basics for the stock below, and feel free to mix it up with what you have in your freezer.

Wild Game Master Stock

Prep time: 10 minutes | Cook time: 5+ hours

Ingredients

• 6 duck necks

• 2 turkey wings (can substitute 6 chicken wings)
• 4 venison shanks and ribs (can substitute beef or pork)
• 3 stalks of celery
• 3 carrots
• 3 onions
• 1 clove of garlic
• 1/2 cup of fresh or dried wild mushrooms (Morel, Winter Oyster, Lion’s Mane)
• 1 bundle of parsley

Directions

A good way to use your duck odds and ends is to render them down into a stock you can freeze and use for soups, sauces or braising. Any combination of bones and scraps will work.

1. Drizzle in olive oil and roast the garlic, bones and scraps in the oven at 400 F until brown (not burnt). Roughly chop the vegetables and throw everything into a stock pot, cover the ingredients with water and bring it all to a boil.
2. Cover and reduce the heat to a simmer and walk away, the longer the better. Allow your stock to simmer five-plus hours or even overnight, adding water as the level drops.
3. Strain the stock through a sieve or cheesecloth and leave it to cool. Skim off any fat from the surface and freeze the stock in portions.

Duck Ramen

Prep time: 15 minutes | Cook time: 30 minutes

Ingredients

• 4 duck breasts 

  (skin on is preferred)

• 1 ½ quarts of wild game stock (can substitute chicken stock)
• 4 garlic cloves
• Fresh ginger
• 3 red chilis
• 1 pound of ramen noodles (soba)
• Kosher salt
• Pepper
• Green onions
• Chili oil
• 2 eggs
• Soy sauce

Directions

1. Soft boil the eggs for 6 minutes and 10 seconds and transfer to cold water. Shell the eggs and place them in a container with soy sauce.
2. Pat the duck breast dry, score the skin and season with salt and pepper. Place the duck with the skin side down into a cold skillet and bring the heat to medium high, cooking until the skin is crispy. Flip the duck and let it sear for about a minute (do not overcook.)

   

3. While the duck is cooking, combine the stock with water and bring it to a low boil. Add the chilis, garlic, a couple slices of ginger and green onions. Once the duck is cooked add the noodles to the broth and let them cook for a couple minutes until soft.
4. Separate the noodles into bowls, pour in the broth and add your sliced duck. Garnish with green onion, carrots, mushrooms or any other flavors and textures you like. Cut the soft-boiled eggs in half to complete the dish.