My soy braised duck ramen brings all the flavor with minimal effort from the earthy broth, to umami soy sauce eggs, and tender duck. This post is sponsored by Calphalon. All opinions are my own. Thank you for supporting the brands that make Beyond Sweet and Savory possible.

Mastering basic knife skills and cooking skills is the foundation to becoming a better cook. Last month, I shared how chiffonading herbs can bring flavor to the final dish. This month, I'm back with Calphalon to share one of my favorite cooking techniques, braising via my soy braised duck ramen. Many people find ramen intimidating to make at home but it's effortless once you know how to make the soy sauce eggs, put together a simple broth, and braise your favorite protein. Braising is great for building flavor by cooking meat slowly over low heat until it becomes tender. Unlike tonkotsu ramen which takes a good 12 hours to extract the milkiness of the bones, my soy braised duck ramen brings all the flavor with minimal effort. It's time to graduate from your instant ramen and learn how to make the ramen basics from scratch!

Tips for Making Ramen Eggs
- Make the ramen eggs the day before. They need to be marinated in the soy sauce for at least 12 hours for the flavor to develop.
- Use eggs right out of the refrigerator so the raw yolk is as cold as possible which prevents it from cooking through.
- Punch a tiny hole in the eggshell before cooking to loosen the egg white from the shell making it easier to peel.
- Use the 7-minute boil method to get the jammiest, barely-cooked yolk with white that’s neither rubbery nor runny.
- To make the eggs, fill a saucepan with enough water to cover the eggs. Bring it to a boil, ease them in with a slotted spoon, and set a timer for exactly seven minutes. If the water boils vigorously, lower the heat but keep it bubbling.
- When the timer goes off, drain the eggs immediately and dunk them in a large bowl of iced water to stop the cooking process.

After 12 hours in the soy sauce marinade, the soft boiled eggs are ready for topping ramen. Cut into the egg and you’ll find a orange, creamy yolk and the whites impregnated with subtle soy sauce flavor.

How to Make Ramen Broth
Similar to the ramen eggs, I like to make the broth the day before to let the flavor develop. For the ramen broth, I used the duck carcass along with shiitake mushroom and ginger for flavoring and daikon for sweetness. Bring everything to a boil over high heat then lower the heat to medium-low and let it simmer for 1 hour. Once the broth is cool enough to handle, strain it with a fine mesh sieve and discard everything but the shiitake mushroom. Refrigerate the broth in the fridge overnight and remove the layer of fat before reheating it.

Ingredients for Soy Braised Duck
My soy braised duck is inspired by the classic Japanese braised pork belly (buta no kakuni). The duck is simmered in a bath of soy sauce, mirin, sake, brown sugar and flavored with ginger, garlic, star anise, and cinnamon.
- Duck: for this recipe I used a whole duck. I used the carcass for making the broth and saved the duck legs and duck breasts for braising.
- Soy sauce: I used a light/low sodium soy sauce to braise the duck. You can find light/low sodium soy sauce at the Asian grocery stores or online.
- Mirin: mirin is a Japanese rice wine made from mochi rice that has about 14 percent alcohol and adds a mild sweetness and aroma to the final dish.
- Sake: for this recipe I used cooking sake which serves a different purpose from mirin. Cooking sake is used to tenderize meat, and also to remove unwanted smells and flavors. Cooking sake contains salt so it adds some flavor to the meat.
- Star anise: is commonly used in Asian cooking. Adding whole star anise to soups and braising liquid lends a sweet-licorice-peppery flavor to the the finished dish.

How to Make Soy Braised Duck
Braising is a combination-cooking method that starts with pan searing followed by slow cooking in a liquid until the ingredients become tender. Start by browning the duck legs and breasts over medium-high heat. Drizzle a little bit of olive oil to coat the bottom of the pan, then sear each side of the seasoned meat until golden brown. My Calphalon Premier™ Hard-Anodized Nonstick saute pan delivers even heat distribution without hot spots perfect for creating that beautiful caramelized crust.

The seared duck will go into the braising liquid partially submerged and then cooked covered over a low flame on the stove for 45-60 minutes until tender, 45 minutes for the breast and 60 minutes for the legs. “Low and slow” is the name of the game with braising - low heat, slow cooking. Braising requires a quality heavy pot with a lid to help maintain an even cooking temperature and prevents moisture from escaping. You can also braise using the oven at 325 degrees F. It's been in the high 80s in San Diego so I wasn't too keen on turning on the oven for braising. The Calphalon Premier™ saucepan is perfect for cooking on the stove and can go from stovetop to oven up to 425 degrees F. After braising the duck developed a deep flavor and soft, melty caramelized texture with tender meat that falls off the bones.

What to Serve Ramen With
For a complete bowl of ramen, you need ramen noodles, a few toppings, and a condiment beside the ramen broth, soy sauce eggs, and braised duck that you cooked. Get a quality ramen noodle from your Asian grocery store. I like to cook the ramen noodles right before serving so they don't get soggy. My boys love to eat their ramen with kamakobo, a Japanese fish cake, so I always include them. Bok choy is our go to for greens but feel free to use your favorite like spinach, brocollini, or thinly sliced cabbage. Mushroom especially the shiitake reserved from the ramen broth, corn, bean sprouts, and scallion make great toppings. To finish the ramen, I love a sprinkle of shichimi togarashi while my kids love furikake. Shichimi togarashi is a spice blend consisting of chilli flakes, seaweed, and sesame seeds while furikake is a blend of seaweed, sesame seeds, and seasoning. The options for ramen toppings are endless!

I could hardly wait to slurp up this comforting bowl of duck ramen. The broth gets extra depth of flavor from the shiitake mushroom and soy sauce while the braised duck is tender and caramelized with notes of star anise and cinnamon. The soy sauce eggs bring all the umami while the togarashi adds a kick of heat. It’s pure bliss when everything comes together in one bite. This ramen packs a punch with minimal effort!

For more braising inspiration, check out these recipes: Vietnamese braised pork and eggs in coconut caramel sauce, Asian braised short ribs.


Soy Braised Duck Ramen
Ingredients
Soy Sauce Eggs
- 8 large eggs
- ½ cup light soy sauce
- ½ cup mirin
- 1 tablespoon cooking sake
- 1 knob of ginger
- 1 head of garlic, cloves peeled and crushed
Ramen Broth
- Duck carcass from 5-pound duck
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 8 ounces daikon, cut into small pieces
- 8 ounces shiitake mushroom
- 1 inch knob ginger
- 1 tablespoon cooking sake
- ¼ cup Memmi noodle soup base
- 10 cups water
Soy Braised Duck
- ½ cup cup light soy sauce
- ½ cup mirin
- 1 tablespoon cooking sake
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- 2 cups water
- 1 head of garlic
- 1 inch knob ginger
- 2 star anise
- 2 cinnamon sticks
Ramen Bowl Assembly
- 6 packages ramen noodles, about 6 ounces each
- 6-8 soy sauce eggs, halved
- 8 ounces bok choy, boiled
- ¼ cup scallion, thinly sliced
- 6 ounces Fish cake for serving, thinly sliced
- Togarashi for serving
Instructions
Soy Sauce Eggs
- To make the marinade, combine all ingredients in saucepan. Bring to a boil over high heat. Remove pan from heat and let it cool to room temperature.
- Bring a large saucepan of water to a boil over medium-high.
- Use a pushpin to gently open a small hole on the bottom of each egg. Be careful not to break the shell.
- Carefully lower eggs into water using a slotted spoon.
- Set your alarm for 7 minutes and maintain a gentle boil.
- Once the alarm goes off, transfer the eggs to an ice bath and let them chill until they are just slightly warm, about 2 minutes.
- Gently crack eggs all over and peel, starting from the fattest end containing the air pocket. Set them aside until ready to use.
- Pour marinade into a jar and add peeled eggs. Marinate in refrigerator for 12 hours.
Ramen Broth
- Combine duck carcass and broth ingredients into large saucepan. Bring to a boil over high heat.
- Turn heat down to medium low and let it simmer for 1 hour. Remove from heat and let it cook down to room temperature.
- Strain the broth and transfer to a large container. Reserve shiitake mushroom and discard the remaining solids.
- Refrigerate broth overnight.
- When ready to use, skim off fat layer and discard. Reheat in large sauce pan over medium-high heat.
Soy Braised Duck
- Heat large saucepan over medium-high heat.
- Sprinkle the duck with salt and pepper, and cook in batches skin-side down for 5 minutes.
- Turn and cook for a further 5 minutes or until golden. Remove from the pan and set aside.
- In large saucepan, combine soy sauce, mirin, sake, sugar, water, star anise, cinnamon, ginger, and garlic. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to low.
- Add browned duck and simmer for breasts for 45 minutes and legs for 60 minutes until tender.
Ramen Bowl Assembly
- Cook ramen according to the package's instructions.
- Divide noodles among serving bowls.
- Top with duck meat, soy sauce eggs, bok choy, fish cake, and scallion.
- Pour soup into bowls and serve immediately.
- Sprinkle with togarashi if serving.
SD
I really enjoyed the duck ramen. So good!
Lynnie
Really really great recipe! Great breakdown of the parts and each recipe, leading to great result!,
Vy Tran
Hi Lynnie! I'm so happy to hear you enjoyed it. This one is great to keep in your ramen arsenal for when you want to switch things up!