In the biggest stock pot you own, add water, chicken stock, kombu, shiitake mushrooms, green onions (washed and ripped in half so you have a shorter bunch that will fit in your pot), carrots (washed, peeled, and cut in half so they will fit in your pot), ginger (sliced lengthwise into 3-4 pieces with the flesh showing), garlic bulbs (sliced in half so each individual clove is cut down the middle), and onion (peeled and sliced in half).
Bring stock to boil, cover, and reduce heat to simmer for 1 hour.
Add whole chicken breasts and push to the bottom of the pot. Add ½ cup sake (if desired). Cover and continue simmering for an additional 20-25 minutes, depending on the size/quantity of chicken.
In a small sauce pot combine ½ cup olive oil, 1 tbsp minced ginger, 1 tbsp minced garlic, 2 tbsp gochugaru (or red pepper flakes), and 3 tbsp (or 1 packet) katsuobushi.
Lightly simmer chili oil on low/medium-low heat for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and let sit until it cools.
In a slightly larger sauce pot, add ½ cup white miso, 2 tbsp gochujang (or sriracha), ½ cup sake (if desired), ½ cup mirin (or sugar/vinegar mixture). Whisk until smooth.
Bring tare to boil and then reduce to medium-low heat for 5-10 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent burning. Remove from heat and let sit until it cools.
Reduce broth to low heat.
Remove chicken breasts and shiitake mushrooms* from the broth and set aside in a separate bowl to cool.
Remove all other solid ingredients (kombu, carrots, onions, garlic, etc.) and throw away. You may need to use a strainer to remove smaller bits of garlic peel or stray onions rings, but if it doesn’t bother you don’t worry about it. We’re not serving this to paying customers.**
When the chicken is cool enough to handle, shred the breasts with your hands (or two forks) until you have nice bite-sized strips.***
In a small bowl, strain the chili oil with cheese cloth or mesh strainer to remove all chili flakes/katsuobushi flakes/etc. Squeeze to extract all extra oil. Set aside clear oil to be served and reserve “chunks”.
Add the strained chili flakes/katsuobusi flakes/etc. “chunks” to your shredded chicken/shiitake and mix until coated.
Cook noodles according to package directions.****
When you’re ready to serve, add 1/3 cup tare, 1 - 1 ½ tbsp chili oil, 1 ½ - 2 cups hot broth to a bowl. Stir gently to combine. Add noodles and coat with broth. Garnish with chicken/shiitake, kimchi, chopped green onion, and soft-boiled ramen egg. Eat and enjoy!
