"From the 'Red Bean Buns' of Spirited Away to the ramen from Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea, discover over twenty recipes from Studio Ghibli films." These are the first words written on the back cover of Gastronogeek: Cooking in Ghibli, an innovative book full of colors and references that immerses us in the flavors of our favorite Miyazaki films. Here are three recipes that made us salivate, wonderfully comforting in these gray and cold times, created by Thibaud Villanova.
The Shio Ramen from Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea
Easy level, serves 4 people.
30 minutes of preparation, 15 minutes of cooking.
Ingredients
For the Chintan broth
- 50 cl kombu and katsuobushi broth
- 50 cl chicken broth
For the shio tare
- 40 cl of chicken broth- 90 g of fine salt
- 35 g of granulated sugar
- 10 cl of cooking sake
- 12 cl of mirin
For the ajitsuke tamago (marinated eggs)
- 2 eggs
- 30 cl of salted soy sauce
For plating
- 1 green onion, the green part
- 4 large slices of chashu pork or herb ham
- 4 portions of instant noodles
- 4 teaspoons of toasted sesame oil
Preparation
1. First, prepare the marinated eggs: you can of course use hard boiled eggs, but if you really want to discover ramen eggs, bring a large amount of water to a boil. Add the eggs and cook for 5 minutes and 55 seconds. Meanwhile, prepare an ice bath: a large amount of very cold or icy water. After cooking the eggs, remove them from the boiling water and immediately place them in the ice bath to stop the cooking process.Peel the eggs and place them in a bowl. Cover them with soy sauce and let them rest while you prepare the rest of the ingredients. You can make more eggs at the same time, marinate them in the same way for up to 24 hours before consuming.
2. Move on to preparing the shio tare: pour all the ingredients into a saucepan and heat over medium heat. Bring to a gentle simmer, cover, and keep warm.
3. Prepare the chintan broth: in a large saucepan, pour the chicken broth and the bonito and kombu dashi. Bring to a gentle simmer, cover, and keep warm.
4. Finally, move on to preparing the toppings: chop the green onion. Cut the pork slices in half. Slice the eggs in half quickly so that the runny yolk remains in the cooked and marinated white.
5. For plating, distribute the noodles into 4 ramen bowls.Add 2 good scoops of chintan broth, 1 small scoop of shio tare. Cover and let the noodles cook for 2 to 3 minutes. Then add 1 teaspoon of sesame oil. Place 1/2 marinated soft-boiled egg on top of the broth. Add 2 half slices of chashu ham or pork, and finish off by sprinkling green onions on top. Enjoy these piping hot bowls of ramen!
© Nicolas LOBBESTAËL
The breakfast of the Moving Castle
Easy level, for 4 people.
10 minutes preparation and 10 minutes cooking.
Ingredients
- 4 slices of smoked bacon, each 5 mm thick
- 8 large fresh eggs (optional: pepper)
- Homemade or store-bought sandwich bread
- Black tea
- Montgomery's cheddar or emmental cheese
- Chives or flat-leaf parsley
Preparation
1. You might think that everyone knows how to cook bacon and eggs, and yet... There is a trick to it. There are 2 things to know for this recipe: it's better to use a cast iron frying pan and, when it comes to cooking, it's better to start with a cold pan.
2. Depending on the size of your pan, do it in two batches, 2 slices of bacon and 4 eggs at a time.Place the thick slices of bacon in the pan and place the pan on medium heat: the heat will gradually heat up the metal and melt the fat from the bacon. This cooking method allows you to achieve tender and crispy meat. Cook the bacon for 2 minutes before flipping it and continuing to cook.
Once the bacon is nicely browned and well-cooked, you should have enough fat in the pan: crack the eggs into the pan and fry them for 2 minutes. You can add pepper if you like, but know that they will be naturally salty from the bacon.
Serve when the egg whites are fully cooked and before the yolks start to harden. They should remain runny!
Serve these bacon and eggs with a nice slice of toast. It's also the perfect time to serve a thin slice of cheese., some cheddar or emmental cheese, which will perfectly complement your eggs. Lastly, to start your day off right and give you a boost, accompany your tasting with a good, hot cup of black tea (Japanese kocha or Ceylon tea)!
© Nicolas LOBBESTAËL
Howl's Moving Castle Breakfast Soup
Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind
Easy level, serves 4 people.
15 minutes of preparation, 40 minutes of cooking
Ingredients
- 2 shallots
- 250 g of mouettes de Vendée or canned white beans
- 150 g of fresh or canned samphire
- 1 cm of fresh ginger
- 2 cloves of garlic
- 1 L of kombu and katsuobushi dashi or vegetable broth
- Some pinches of Shichimi togarashi or ground Espelette pepper
- Olive oil
- Fleur de sel
Preparation
1. Prepare the vegetables. Peel and finely chop the shallots. Drain and rinse the mouettes. Rinse the samphire and roughly chop it. Peel and finely chop the ginger and garlic.
2. In a saucepan, bring the broth to a simmer.
3. In a Dutch oven, pour a drizzle of olive oil and heat over medium heat. Sauté the shallots for 2 minutes. Then add the samphire, garlic, and ginger, and sauté for 5 minutes before adding the seagulls. Season to your taste. Continue cooking for 2 minutes before adding enough broth (about 70 cl). Cover and let simmer for 10 minutes, until the vegetables absorb the broth and become tender. Don't hesitate to continue cooking for a few more minutes if the vegetables aren't tender enough.
4. Using an immersion blender, blend the mixture until smooth. Incorporate the remaining broth according to your desired consistency, from creamy to more liquid.
Serving: Serve this soup hot and sprinkle with fleur de sel and shichimi togarashi (or ground Espelette pepper) to enhance its flavor. Enjoy your meal!
© Nicolas LOBBESTAËL
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